Tensions Escalate During Special Voting in Koforidua

Tensions erupted at the Koforidua Police Headquarters during the special voting exercise in the Eastern Region, following a clash between Tijani Mikano, the New Juaben South Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), and security personnel.

Mikano, who was accused of violating the voting perimeter, argued that he would only comply with the instructions to leave the area if a New Patriotic Party (NPP) official, who was allegedly campaigning within the restricted zone, was also removed. Mikano claimed that while the Electoral Commission (EC) had set boundaries for political activity, NPP agents were violating these rules by campaigning among the voters. He emphasized that if such actions were prohibited, the NPP representative should also be asked to leave.

The incident quickly escalated into a heated standoff, attracting the attention of voters, security personnel, and EC officials. The altercation led to a misunderstanding between the NDC and NPP representatives.

Darlington Annan, the presiding officer, explained that the NDC executive had been misled into believing that the NPP agents had exceeded the designated perimeter. He clarified that the NPP representative had been asked to leave the queue due to causing disturbances, but the NDC party members misunderstood the situation, which led to the confrontation.

With the intervention of EC officials and police officers, the misunderstanding was resolved, and both parties vacated the premises. Calm was restored, and voting continued smoothly thereafter.

Meanwhile, voting in the Western Region proceeded without any major issues, with minimal reported incidents. However, the special voting, which took place across 14 regions on Monday, faced delays in the Eastern and Western regions. The Electoral Commission had to recall and reprint ballot papers due to a mishap detected in some of the printed materials.