Dr. Ekua Amoakoh, spokesperson for New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, says the party will be better prepared to deal with election security challenges ahead of the 2028 general elections.
She believes the outcome of the NPP’s recent national executive elections shows that delegates have learnt lessons from the violence and security lapses that characterised the 2024 polls.
Speaking in an interview, Dr. Amoakoh recounted incidents of violence at polling stations and collation centres during the 2024 elections, saying party officials struggled to protect their agents.
She disclosed that she witnessed reports of attacks while working in the NPP’s election war room, including an incident in the Upper East Region where polling agents were allegedly held at gunpoint and pressured to confirm certain results.
Dr. Amoakoh said the two major political parties had agreed to rely on the Ghana Police Service for election security rather than deploy party-based security groups. However, she argued that police personnel at some locations were inadequate to control disturbances.
She cited a collation centre where about 100 people were present but only 10 police officers were available, adding that the officers were unarmed.
According to her, the experience exposed weaknesses in the party’s preparedness and left polling agents vulnerable during the electoral process.
She said the latest internal elections suggest that NPP delegates recognise the need to strengthen the party’s security arrangements before the next general election.
Dr. Amoakoh also criticised the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what she described as excessive interest in the NPP’s internal affairs, urging it to concentrate on governance.
The NPP is reorganising its structures following its defeat in the 2024 general elections as it prepares to challenge the NDC in 2028.
