Mahama Ayariga is the Majority Leader

Leader of the Majority Caucus in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has challenged the Minority’s opposition to the rerun of the Ablekuma North parliamentary elections in selected polling stations.

According to him, he believes the Minority is exhibiting an apparent fear of a transparent electoral process should the rerun be conducted.

Ayariga, speaking on the floor of Parliament on July 3, 2025, questioned why the Minority would oppose the decision, given that the Electoral Commission, after its deliberations, discovered that some pink sheets needed for the collation of results in Ablekuma North were not validated by the presiding officers, prompting the call for a rerun to ensure a fair process.

“And if the scanned pink sheets were not verified by their [EC] own presiding officers, on what basis should that be used? That is why they are calling for a rerun of those 19 polling stations. I don't know why you are afraid. Why are you afraid?” he queried.

Ayariga, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, cautioned against politicizing the Electoral Commission’s decision.

He refuted claims by the Minority that the EC is being intimidated into rerunning the parliamentary elections, describing such assertions as unfounded.

“So, please let us not try to politicize this and say that because recently the national chairman of one political party made a statement that the EC is intimidated. No, it's just fair and reasonable that if their own officers did not verify those pink sheets, they should rerun those polling stations,” he cautioned.

This comes on the back of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) firmly rejecting the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to rerun the parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations within the Ablekuma North Constituency.

The Electoral Commission contends that the affected polling stations had their results used for collation without verification and validation by the respective presiding officers.

However, the NPP insists that no substantial irregularities occurred in those polling stations to warrant a rerun.

The rerun of the elections is scheduled for Friday, July 11, 2025.

MAG/EB

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