News
Ablekuma Re-run: Court dismisses NPP’s Akua Afriyie’s 10-day interim injunction application
Barring any last minute development, the Electoral Commission (EC)will on Friday, July 11, 2025, conduct fresh elections in 19 polling stations in the Ablekumah North Constituency, Greater Accra Region.
This was after the High Court in Accra dismissed a 10-day interim injunction application filed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), candidate, Akua Afriyie to stop the EC from conducting elections in the affected polling stations.
The NPP is challenging the decision by the EC to conduct election in the Ablekumah North Constituency because the Commission had earlier told Parliament that it was going to collate results of six polling stations to declare the winner of the election which was held on December 7, 2024 and contested by Mrs Afriyie of the NPP and Mrs Awurabena Aubyn, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for the 2024 Parliamentary election.
Earlier, the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Justin Frimpong Kodua, told journalists at a press conference that the NPP would boycott the election, if the EC fails to rescind its decision to re-run polls in 19 polling stations.
Meanwhile, the NDC had proposed that the elections be conducted in 37 polling stations instead of the 19 the EC settled on.
The Ablekumah North Constituency parliamentary election was characterised by violence and irregularities, with the NDC and NPP trading accusations allegations against the EC.
They argue for instance, that the EC, which was expected to be a neutral umpire in the exercise had been compromised.
Both Mrs Aubyn and Mrs Afriyie are still claiming they won the election, but neither of them had been sworn to represent their constituents, seven months in the life of the ninth of Parliament.
It remains to be seen whether the EC would be able to conduct the election without any incident, as previous attempts at relocation with enhanced security were unsuccessful.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
MORE SOON
News
Criminal and Seditious Libel Law was repealed in 2001 yet we still face harassment – NPP
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the government for what it calls a return to the “culture of silence” in Ghana, despite the repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law more than two decades ago.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the party said the arrest and detention of its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, also known as Abronye, for allegedly insulting the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was the latest sign of political intimidation.
According to the NPP, eight months into President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, state security had been “weaponised” not to fight illegal mining or protect citizens, but to intimidate and punish dissenting voices.
The party said insecurity in areas such as Bawku, Nkwanta and Gbeniyiri in the Savannah Region had claimed more than 32 lives and displaced over 50,000 people, yet the police and national security were more focused on arresting opposition supporters and social media users for their posts.
The NPP noted that Ghana abolished the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001 under President John Agyekum Kufuor to protect free speech and media freedoms.
It described the recent arrests of opposition members as an erosion of those democratic gains.
The party said it did not condone insults or vulgar language in public discourse but stressed that anyone who felt defamed should seek redress through civil defamation suits, not criminal prosecution.
It also accused the government of undermining the judiciary by “weaponising” it against political opponents, citing the removal of the Chief Justice.
“The growing climate of intimidation and criminalisation of speech is a serious assault on Ghana’s democracy,” the statement signed by NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong said.
The NPP called on all Ghanaians to resist what it described as a return to tyranny and pledged to roll out a series of actions to protect the country’s democratic gains.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
NIA opens Premium Centres to register children
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has started registering Ghanaian children aged between six and 14 years at all its Premium Centres across the country.
The Authority says the exercise is part of its duty to register every Ghanaian, both at home and abroad, so that all citizens can have a secure and verifiable national identity.
It explained in a statement issued today that the registration will help build a complete and inclusive National Identity Register (NIR) that captures every Ghanaian from childhood.
According to the NIA, the fee for first-time registration at Premium Centres is GHS 310, which is the approved charge for premium services.
The Authority said the requirements are the same as for applicants aged 15 years and above.
It affirmed that Parents or legal guardians were required to present either a valid Ghanaian passport of the child, the original copy of the child’s birth certificate, or be a Ghana Card holder who can vouch for the child.
The NIA also announced that from Monday, September 15, 2025, its online registration and booking system will be extended to the remaining 11 Premium Centres nationwide.
This it said will allow parents and guardians to schedule appointments more conveniently and avoid delays at the centres.
It further stated that information on the issuance of Ghana Cards for children aged six to 14 years who had already registered will be shared later.
In the coming weeks, the Authority plans to extend this registration service to all NIA District Offices to make it easier for more people to access the service.
By: Jacob Aggrey
