By Grace Zigah
The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor, has launched a scathing response to claims by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, describing his recent comments clearing former Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson of wrongdoing in the 2024 election-related violence as “false and misleading.”
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday evening, November 6, 2025, at Parliament House in Accra, Naa Koryoo vehemently rejected portions of the Interior Minister’s report and press remarks, accusing him of peddling falsehoods and deliberately twisting her testimony before the Presidential Task Force on Electoral Violence.
“At no point did I ever deny that attacks took place,” she said. “I told the task force that on election day, my convoy was being trailed by a V8 vehicle believed to belong to Hon. Hawa Koomson, accompanied by a NADMO pickup with a green government number plate. I felt threatened and decided to head home for my safety. To suggest that I denied these events is a complete fabrication.”
Naa Koryoo insists the Interior Minister’s report was politically sanitised to protect members of the ruling elite.
The Awutu Senya East MP explained that she had remained silent out of respect for the investigative process but could no longer stay quiet after hearing what she described as “a distorted and politically tainted version of events.”
She further revealed that there was video evidence and eyewitness testimony supporting claims of violence during both the 2020 and 2024 elections in Kasoa, and these were submitted to the task force investigating the incidents.
“The unwillingness of victims and witnesses to testify does not mean the violence never happened,” she argued. “People are scared, and some still live in fear. The Minister should not use their silence as justification to whitewash the truth.”
The controversy stems from incidents in December 2020 and December 2024, when violent clashes in the Awutu Senya East constituency, Kasoa led to several injuries and the death of 30-year-old Yusif Larri Idriss, who was shot near the “Steps to Christ” polling station.
At the time, Naa Koryoo, who was the NDC’s parliamentary candidate, accused Hawa Koomson—then the incumbent MP and Minister for Fisheries—of orchestrating the attack. She alleged that her convoy came under fire from individuals in vehicles linked to Koomson’s campaign.
Muntaka’s Version: No Evidence Against Hawa Koomson
However, in a detailed press briefing held last week, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak announced that an independent investigation body had found no evidence implicating Hawa Koomson in the violence that marred both the 2020 and 2024 elections in Kasoa.
“The findings substantiate that Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson bears no responsibility for the unfortunate incidents in Awutu Senya East,” Muntaka said. “Witness accounts, coupled with the absence of credible evidence, make it clear that earlier accusations were unfounded.”
According to the Minister, investigators reviewed witness statements, video footage, and police reports before reaching their conclusions.
He said Naa Koryoo herself had told the task force that she was not at the scene when the shooting occurred and had no knowledge of how it began.
“Her convoy was not attacked, and she was not present when the shots were fired,” Muntaka told journalists.
He added that several key witnesses, including one Mohammed Ali who was alleged to have been in the vehicle from which shots were fired, refused to cooperate with the authorities.
“One suspect has since traveled abroad for medical treatment, which has further hampered the process,” he noted.
The Minister concluded that while the violence was regrettable, there was no credible basis to hold Hawa Koomson or her team responsible, stressing that systemic security lapses and poor coordination between local election officers and the police were to blame.
Hawa Koomson’s Reaction
Shortly after the Interior Minister’s announcement, Mavis Hawa Koomson released a statement expressing relief and gratitude, describing the findings as a complete vindication after years of public vilification.
“For years, I was wrongly accused, insulted, and portrayed as violent and reckless,” she wrote. “The Minister’s report has finally vindicated me and exposed the lies that were spread to tarnish my reputation.”
She claimed that her political opponents, including Naa Koryoo, deliberately spread falsehoods to gain political advantage in Awutu Senya East.
“These accusations were politically motivated and nearly cost me my life,” she said, recalling the Ablekuma North by-election in July 2025, where she was physically assaulted by suspected NDC supporters. “I hope those who orchestrated these lies will have the courage to apologise.”
