The Member of Parliament for Yilo Krobo, Albert Tetteh Nyarkotey, has accused Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey of interfering in the constituency executive elections after Electoral Commission officials declined to declare a winner in the secretaryship contest.
Raymond Arku Tetteh is reported to have beaten his opponent by eight votes when ballot counting ended. However, the result has not been officially announced and the position remains unresolved.
Mr Nyarkotey said the voting and counting were completed peacefully, without any major incident. He alleged that the Eastern Regional Minister arrived at the venue more than two hours after counting had finished, accompanied by the losing aspirant.
According to the MP, Ms Awatey demanded a recount and insisted that the winner should not be declared until the ballots had been counted again. He said the intervention delayed the announcement and left the election process at a standstill for several hours.
Mr Nyarkotey questioned the minister’s authority to instruct Electoral Commission officials not to declare the winner of the constituency secretary position.
He also said he would not accept a recount, claiming he had received information suggesting that the ballot boxes had been tampered with. The MP warned that recounting the ballots could undermine the will of the delegates.
He has appealed to the NDC’s national leadership, specifically the National Chairman and the General Secretary, to step in and settle the dispute.
Raymond Arku Tetteh, whose election as constituency secretary remains contested, has also rejected the demand for a recount. He accused the Eastern Regional Minister of deepening divisions within the party and alleged that she was attempting to impose her will on the constituency.
Ms Awatey has declined to comment on the allegations made against her by the MP.
The disputed ballots are currently in the custody of the Eastern Regional Police Command, while the secretaryship result awaits an official declaration.
