The National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) and former Member of Parliament for Odododiodioo, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has dismissed claims that the recent violent disruption of the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun was politically motivated. Instead, he described the incident as an act of personal vendetta stemming from longstanding grievances.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, July 17, Vanderpuye urged the public to critically examine the context of the violence that broke out at the St. Peter’s polling station on July 11, during the rerun of the parliamentary election.
“I will not condone political violence. What happened in Ablekuma North, I want us to examine it critically as an incident of vendetta rather than political violence,” Vanderpuye stated.
“Apart from that incident, there was no similar occurrence at any other polling station.”
The chaos, which involved a group of unidentified macho men storming the polling center, disrupted the voting process and caused panic. A female polling agent was reportedly assaulted, sustaining visible injuries to her face, while former Awutu Senya East MP, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was also attacked during the fracas.
Vanderpuye linked the outburst of violence to unresolved incidents from previous l, particularly those involving Hawa Koomson, accusing her of having a track record of violence in her constituency.
“Hawa Koomson consistently visited violence on certain groups of people in the constituency, which led to death, destruction of lives, with some people being incapacitated up till today,” he alleged.
“If the government she served in had taken measures to punish her and make people feel justice had been served, this wouldn’t have happened.”
According to Vanderpuye, the failure of state institutions to address those past acts of violence has fostered bitterness and a sense of injustice, prompting some individuals to take matters into their own hands in what he described as retaliatory acts rather than politically orchestrated attacks.
Following the disruption, additional security forces were deployed, and calm was eventually restored. However, the incident has sparked widespread public concern over the safety of electoral stakeholders, especially as Ghana prepares for major electoral activities ahead of the 2028 general elections.
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