Seven months since the December 7, 2024, general elections, Ablekuma North remains without a Member of Parliament. The reason? Nineteen of the constituency’s 281 polling station results cannot be verified due to missing Presiding Officer (PO) signatures, a legal requirement under Ghana’s electoral laws.
Without these signatures, the Form 8A Statement of Polls from the affected stations is invalid. As a result, the Electoral Commission (EC) has declared a rerun in those 19 polling stations. But how did one of Accra’s most competitive constituencies fall into this legal and procedural vacuum?
A Collapsed Process
The problem began on election day, but worsened afterward. Scuffles at the collation centre led to the destruction of original pink sheets. Days later, a fire consumed ballot boxes stored at the Kwashieman cluster of schools. With no original documents, the EC turned to scanned copies—only to spark partisan disputes about their legitimacy.
The EC’s internal inconsistencies further complicated matters. First, officials rejected scanned forms. Later, they reversed that position, leaving returning officers confused and stakeholders frustrated.
What the Law Says
Under C.I. 127, Ghana’s 2020 Public Elections Regulations, the rules are clear:
- Regulation 19(2)(c): Presiding officers must sign all official forms.
- Regulation 39(2): Without the PO’s signature, Form 8A is invalid—even if party agents sign.
- Regulation 48: The absence of an agent doesn’t cancel a poll—but doesn’t allow agents to substitute for POs.
- Regulation 45: Failure by an election officer to perform a statutory duty is an offence, punishable by fines, imprisonment, or disqualification.
Despite these provisions, no sanctions have been applied to the 19 presiding officers who failed to fulfil their roles
The Legal return, the Managerial Failure
The EC’s decision to rerun polls in the 19 affected stations is legally sound, but managerially flawed. Security lapses, unclear directives, repeated delays in collation, and a failure to apply sanctions created a vacuum of accountability and transparency.
IMANI points to a deeper problem: erosion of public trust. The EC’s inconsistent handling of scanned documents and tolerance for lapses by officials risk setting dangerous precedents. Voters in the 19 stations have now been effectively disenfranchised for over half a year.
IMANI’s Recommendations
To prevent similar electoral paralysis, IMANI recommends
- Real-time electronic transmission of Form 8A to a secure central server.
- Secure archiving of paper records in guarded facilities.
- A standby pool of trained presiding officers to replace non-compliant officials immediately.
- Strict enforcement of Regulation 45, including probes, show-cause notices, and disciplinary actions.
- A new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) ahead of the 2028 elections that addresses logistical, procedural, and security vulnerabilities exposed in Ablekuma North.
- A policy of drafting a new C.I. before every general election, ensuring lessons learned are codified and applied.
Conclusion
Ghana’s democracy is only as strong as its electoral credibility. In Ablekuma North, that credibility faltered. Fixing it will require more than legal correctness—it will demand discipline, foresight, and a voter-first mindset from the Electoral Commission and all electoral actors.
Credit: IMANI Criticality Analysis of Governance and Economic Issues (June 29 – July 5, 2025)
