Ketu North MP Edem Agbana is calling for urgent reforms within the Electoral Commission (EC), asserting that the current leadership lacks the credibility and independence required to protect Ghana’s democracy.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on July 5, Agbana argued that the existing EC setup cannot be trusted to deliver free and fair elections and must be restructured to rebuild public trust.
“We’ve consistently maintained that the current Electoral Commission is not fit for purpose. There needs to be changes. A strong, independent EC is essential for our democracy, but the current leadership doesn’t meet that standard,” he stated.
His remarks come in response to the EC’s recent decision to conduct a parliamentary election rerun in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency. The announcement, made on July 2 by Deputy Chair of Operations Samuel Tettey, followed discussions with both the NDC and NPP on July 1.
The rerun, scheduled for July 11, 2025, aims to resolve a protracted dispute over the December 2024 election results in the constituency. The NDC contested the EC’s use of scanned Pink Sheets across all 37 polling stations, alleging irregularities and improper validation, and demanded a complete rerun. The NPP, on the other hand, claimed only three stations were in dispute, emphasizing that most results were verified before disturbances broke out at the collation center.
The EC said original documents were destroyed during a violent incident involving supporters of both parties, prompting reliance on scanned copies. After review, the Commission settled on rerunning the election in the 19 most controversial stations.
Although Agbana welcomed the decision to hold the rerun, he insisted it does not go far enough to correct what he described as years of systemic failure by the EC.
“We accept the rerun in those 19 polling stations and will campaign vigorously to reclaim the Ablekuma North seat,” he declared. “If the NPP chooses to boycott and go to court, that’s their decision. But rest assured, the NDC will win that seat—we earned it.”
The Electoral Commission has pledged to deliver a fair and transparent process, with security support from the Ghana Police Service to ensure peace throughout the exercise.
Despite the assurances, Agbana maintained that deeper reform is necessary, insisting that the rerun alone is not enough to restore confidence in the electoral body’s credibility.
