A tense standoff unfolded at the Koforidua Police Headquarters in the Eastern Region during the special voting exercise, following a dispute over campaign activities near the voting perimeter.
Tijani Mikano, the New Juaben South Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), clashed with security personnel after resisting instructions to leave the designated voting area. Mikano insisted he would only comply if a representative of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), allegedly campaigning within the restricted zone, was also removed.
“The Electoral Commission (EC) set clear boundaries for us to distance ourselves from voters, but the NPP is campaigning in the queue. If it’s not allowed, both sides should be treated equally,” Mikano asserted, explaining the source of the altercation.
Misunderstanding Fuels Standoff
The incident escalated as voters, security personnel, and EC officials were drawn into the confrontation. Darlington Annan, the presiding officer, clarified that the NPP representative had already been asked to leave the queue for causing a disturbance, but a misunderstanding led the NDC members to believe the NPP agents were exceeding the perimeter.
“The NPP representative was asked to move because he was causing a nuisance. However, the opposing party misunderstood the situation, thinking he was interfering, which led to a heated debate,” Annan explained.
Resolution and Calm Restored
JoyNews Eastern Region correspondent, Kofi Siaw, reported that EC officials and police officers intervened, mediating between both parties until calm was restored. Both sides eventually vacated the premises, allowing voting to continue without further incident.
Despite the earlier tension, voting in Koforidua resumed smoothly. Meanwhile, in the Western Region, voting progressed peacefully with no significant incidents reported.
Background on Voting Delays
The special voting exercise, initially scheduled for 14 regions on Monday, faced delays in the Eastern and Western Regions. The EC had to recall and reprint ballot papers after detecting errors, causing a rescheduling of the voting process in these areas. However, with the issues resolved, voting has since proceeded without further complications.
