The suspension is intended to allow the EC to verify 21 pink sheets out of the 62 outstanding polling station results before announcing a winner. According to the EC, the process will resume within 24 hours after a thorough review of the disputed pink sheets.

The decision to halt the collation process follows disruptions triggered by the submission of scanned and soft copies of pink sheets by the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Of the 62 submitted pink sheets, the EC accepted 41 and rejected 21 due to questions over their credibility.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) raised strong objections, arguing that neither the EC nor the party possessed complete records of the pink sheets. They contended that the use of scanned documents in the collation process was unprecedented and unacceptable.

In response to the perceived irregularities, the NDC announced its withdrawal from the process, leaving the EC with no option but to suspend the collation.

Vincent Obeng, the Returning Officer for the Ablekuma North Constituency, stated that verifying the pink sheets is critical to maintaining the integrity of the process.

The EC has assured stakeholders that the collation process will resume promptly and that a winner will be declared within the court-mandated timeline.

The suspension occurred against the backdrop of a High Court ruling on January 4, 2025, which ordered the EC to complete collation of results in four constituencies—Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South—by January 6, 2025.

This directive followed mandamus applications filed by NPP candidates, who argued that the EC had failed to fulfil its statutory obligations. Justice Forson Agyapong, who presided over the case, stressed the legal requirements for granting such applications.

With three of the four constituencies—Tema Central, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South—already declared in favour of the NPP, Ablekuma North remains the only constituency yet to have its results finalized.

The situation underscores ongoing tensions between the NPP and NDC over the collation process, highlighting the need for transparency and fairness in electoral procedures.

The EC’s resolution of the pink sheet dispute will be critical in ensuring credibility in the final outcome for Ablekuma North.