EC suspends collation for Ablekuma North over disputed pink sheets

The Electoral Commission (EC) has temporarily suspended the collation process for the parliamentary election results in the Ablekuma North Constituency of the Greater Accra Region.

The suspension is intended to allow the EC to verify 21 pink sheets out of the 62 outstanding polling station results before announcing a winner. According to the EC, the process will resume within 24 hours after a thorough review of the disputed pink sheets.

The decision to halt the collation process follows disruptions triggered by the submission of scanned and soft copies of pink sheets by the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Of the 62 submitted pink sheets, the EC accepted 41 and rejected 21 due to questions over their credibility.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) raised strong objections, arguing that neither the EC nor the party possessed complete records of the pink sheets. They contended that the use of scanned documents in the collation process was unprecedented and unacceptable.

In response to the perceived irregularities, the NDC announced its withdrawal from the process, leaving the EC with no option but to suspend the collation.

Vincent Obeng, the Returning Officer for the Ablekuma North Constituency, stated that verifying the pink sheets is critical to maintaining the integrity of the process.