Three people have been arrested by police in the Ashanti Region for allegedly disrupting the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) ongoing constituency executive elections at Bantama.
The suspects reportedly stormed the polling centre at the Kumasi Cultural Centre, where they allegedly destroyed ballot boxes and ballot papers and assaulted election officials supervising the exercise.
One election official sustained a foot injury during the incident and was taken to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for treatment.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Shaibu Bamba, the Bantama Constituency Organiser, and Abu, Chairman of the Adoato Polling Station.
The identity of the third suspect is yet to be confirmed.
Sources say a court injunction had been secured to halt the Bantama election, but some party officials allegedly proceeded with the exercise without the supervision of the Electoral Commission.
Although the Electoral Commission withdrew from the process, police officers were initially deployed to provide security at the venue on Saturday morning.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Osei Akoto Arthur, later visited the polling centre and directed the officers to withdraw.
Shortly after the police began leaving the venue, a group of heavily built men reportedly entered the polling area and vandalised the election materials, bringing the voting process to an abrupt halt.
Voting has since been suspended as party officials await a decision from the NPP National Executive Council.
