Elvis Darko is a media practitioner

Media practitioner, Elvis Darko has backed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) decision to boycott the parliamentary rerun in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency.

Speaking on “Breakfast Daily” on Channel One TV, and monitored by GhanaWeb on Thursday July 10, 2025, he criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for what he described as a failure of leadership and a blatant disregard for judicial and parliamentary directives.

“I support the NPP’s position 100%. There’s no need for them to participate in this election. It’s a waste of time. It’s a waste of everything,” Darko said.

He argued that the EC should take full responsibility for the electoral impasse and should not be given the opportunity to redeem itself through a re-run.

According to him, the Commission's credibility has already been severely compromised.

“They [the EC] want to find a way of cleaning their mess but they shouldn’t be allowed to. This should remain a blot on this particular EC for the rest of their lives so that future ECs will learn,” he noted.

Elvis Darko further condemned the EC’s inaction even after a court ordered it to collate the results.

He also criticised the Commission for providing what he termed as weak justifications to Parliament, attributing its delay to a lack of police support.

“Someone went to court and the court said, ‘go and count the rest, declare the result.’ That’s the court order. You refuse to do it,” he stated.

The police, according to Darko, have also come under scrutiny for their role in the impasse.

He questioned why the Ghana Police Service would seek legal advice from the Attorney General before acting on a court order, insisting this creates the perception that the police are being influenced by political forces.

“There’s no stay of execution. The government didn’t appeal the court order. Yet the police claim they need advice from the Attorney General. Advice on what? A court has ordered you to act.”

Darko warned that such actions have led many Ghanaians to believe that the government is controlling the police, thereby weakening public trust in democratic institutions.

“This is what the government should know, that what the police have done has made people believe the government is controlling them. There’s no reason for the police to be asking the AG for advice on a court order", he added.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to conduct a rerun in 19 polling stations within the Ablekuma North Constituency, describing the move as shocking, unlawful, and arbitrary.

The EC, in a press statement dated Wednesday, July 2, 2025, announced that fresh elections would be conducted in the 19 polling stations on Friday, July 11, 2025.

This follows months of disagreement between the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the results of the 2024 parliamentary election in the constituency.

Meanwhile, an Accra High Court has thrown out an injunction application filed by Nana Akua Afriyie, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, which sought to stop the EC from conducting the rerun.

JKB/AME

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