BY Issah Olegor
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) constituency executive election in the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency were thrown into confusion and violence on Saturday, July 12, after broadcaster and aspiring parliamentary candidate Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah was arrested by the Ghana Police Service along with several members of his team during a confrontation over a court injunction seeking to halt the election.
The incident adds to a series of legal disputes and disturbances that have characterized the NPP’s nationwide constituency executive elections.
In recent days, several constituencies, including Bantama and others, have witnessed court actions, injunction applications and violent confrontations as internal party contests become increasingly competitive ahead of the party’s regional and national executive elections.
According to reports, Okatakyie Afrifa arrived at the Afigya Sekyere East election grounds to ensure that a court injunction restraining the conduct of the constituency executive election was brought to the attention of election officials and security personnel stationed at the venue.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that while Afrifa was attempting to present the legal documents to police officers to enforce the court order, a confrontation broke out between his supporters and security personnel.
The situation quickly escalated into chaos, with police moving in to restore order. During the operation, Okatakyie Afrifa and several members of his team were arrested.
Videos circulating on social media show officers dragging and escorting some of the individuals into police vehicles amid shouting and confusion at the polling centre.
Reports also allege that some members of Afrifa’s team were assaulted during the confrontation, although the exact circumstances surrounding those claims have not yet been independently verified.
The disturbances temporarily disrupted the constituency executive election as delegates, party officials and security personnel struggled to contain the situation.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of an ongoing legal challenge over the conduct of the Afigya Sekyere East constituency elections.
According to reports, an injunction had been obtained from the court seeking to restrain the elections pending the determination of legal issues surrounding the process.
Despite the reported injunction, election activities were underway when Afrifa attempted to serve or draw attention to the court order, leading to the confrontation with police.
The violence at Afigya Sekyere East mirrors similar disturbances recorded in the Bantama Constituency, where violence also broke out during constituency executive elections, resulting in arrests and police intervention after disagreements over the electoral process.
The NPP’s ongoing constituency executive elections have witnessed heightened competition across the country, with several constituencies experiencing legal disputes, injunction applications and challenges over delegates, eligibility of candidates and election procedures.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ghana Police Service had not issued an official statement detailing the reasons for the arrests, while the leadership of the New Patriotic Party had also not publicly commented on the incident.
