BY Issah Olegor
Eight suspected hoodlums with strong ties to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been convicted by an Accra Circuit Court for their roles in the violent assault on former Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, and New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyieh, during the July 11, 2025 rerun elections in the Ablekuma North Constituency.
The convicts, identified as Mohammed Abubakar (private security), Jijani Mahmud (driver), Prince Dzakpasu (businessman), Anas Mohammed (estate developer), Mohammed Hamda (mechanic), Darko Otibu Samuel (businessman), Musah Muntari (station manager), and Ali Saeed (businessman).
They all pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit crime to wit assault and three counts of assault.
Presiding judge Isaac Addo convicted the eight men on their own pleas but deferred sentencing to Friday, August 29, 2025.
They were each granted bail of GH¢80,000 with one surety pending sentencing.
The case stems from a chaotic rerun election ordered by the Electoral Commission (EC) after the December 7, 2024 parliamentary results in Ablekuma North were inconclusive due to irregularities.
For seven months, the constituency had remained without parliamentary representation as legal challenges dragged on.
On the day of the rerun, a group of men believed to be politically aligned to the NDC stormed one of the 19 polling stations, disrupting voting and physically attacking leading figures of the NPP.
Viral videos captured Hawa Koomson being shoved to the ground, while NPP candidate Nana Akua Afriyieh also sustained injuries in the melee.
The incident triggered public outrage, with eyewitnesses accusing the police of failing to adequately protect voters and candidates despite prior assurances of tight security.
Political Repercussions
The attack deepened political divisions in the constituency.
The NPP had officially boycotted the rerun due to disputes with the EC, but Nana Akua Afriyieh defied the party’s directive and went ahead with her campaign.
The NPP accused the NDC of orchestrating the disruption, a claim the governing party dismissed.
As sentencing approaches on August 29, attention now turns to whether the convicted men will face custodial sentences or non-custodial penalties.
