Dr. Okoe Boye Alleges Electoral Commission is Operating Under “Serious Coercion” Amid Ablekuma North Rerun
Former Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, has raised serious concerns over the independence of the Electoral Commission (EC), alleging that the Commission is operating under “serious coercion” and external pressure that compromises its consistency and impartiality.
Speaking to Channel One News at the Ablekuma North constituency—where a parliamentary rerun is underway across 19 polling stations—Dr. Okoe-Boye questioned the EC’s abrupt reversal of its earlier position that a rerun was unnecessary.
“The EC itself said that they did not need to do a rerun, and we also said they shouldn’t do a rerun. Today, they have changed their position,” he stated.
Drawing an analogy, he remarked, “If you have a brother who promised he wouldn’t smoke, and you later find him smoking, it’s not enough to call him a hypocrite. What if a gun was put to his head? You have to ask what happened.”
Dr. Okoe-Boye argued that while public discussions have centered on the EC’s inconsistencies, little attention has been paid to the underlying causes of these shifts.
“This EC is under serious coercion, and because the NPP is not in the good books of the public, everybody is quiet,” he alleged.
He further criticized what he described as undue political pressure being exerted on state institutions, citing instances where party leaders openly called for the removal of heads of public agencies, including the EC.
“How can you have the chairman of a party deciding which heads of institutions must be sacked, saying, ‘The EC head must go’? A lot of pressure has been brought to bear on the EC,” Dr. Okoe-Boye asserted.
While acknowledging that the issue has not garnered much public attention, he stressed the need for a national conversation on the independence of state institutions. “Over time, we need to look at it,” he said.
On a personal note, Dr. Okoe-Boye expressed sympathy for Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, the NPP’s candidate in the rerun, who defied her party’s directive to boycott the polls.
“I am in a difficult position because of the party’s stance, but this is a lady I know very well. As a physician, I know she is going through a lot mentally, and she deserves some support and attention,” he noted.
The rerun was necessitated by unresolved disputes over the December 2024 parliamentary elections, which left Ablekuma North without a parliamentary representative. Both the NPP and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are fiercely contesting the seat, making today’s vote a decisive moment for the constituency.
Credit: Channel1 News
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