One major cause of Ablekuma North rerun violence was lack of security coordination — Interior Minister
The Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, has attributed the violence that marred the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun to poor coordination among security agencies deployed for the exercise.
The rerun, conducted on July 11, 2025, in 19 polling stations whose results could not be collated after the 2024 general elections, was disrupted by violent incidents that left several people injured.
Among those affected were former Fisheries Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, journalists and some voters who were reportedly assaulted by thugs during the electoral process.
Eight persons arrested in connection with the violence were subsequently convicted and fined GH¢6,000 each.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, June 10, the Interior Minister said post-election assessments identified major operational weaknesses that contributed to the disturbances.
"One of the major things was the lack of coordination among the security agencies. It's like they go to the election, everybody has his own plan, and they just go in, and therefore sometime when there is a problem, you don't even know who is to be allowed to be in charge," he said.
According to Mr. Mohammed, the absence of a unified command structure created uncertainty among personnel whenever incidents occurred at polling stations.
He explained that security agencies often responded differently to disturbances, with some officers unsure whether the police, national security, immigration or prison officers were expected to take the lead.
"Because there was no coordination, they were all handled differently, and sometimes they stand and look thinking that maybe the national security should handle, or the prisons to handle, or immigration should be the one, or the police is the one to handle it," he stated.
He said lessons from the rerun have since been incorporated into future election security planning, including enhanced surveillance measures and clearer operational protocols for security personnel.