NPP MPs Walk Out as Ewurabena Aubynn Sworn in as Ablekuma North MP: "We Cannot be Part"

• Ewurabena Aubynn was sworn in as the Ablekuma North MP in Ghana's Parliament on July 22, 2025
• The Minority staged a walkout ahead of the swearing-in because it was not allowed to make a statement
• The NPP's protest walkout was triggered by a request from Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh

The Minority in Parliament staged a walkout ahead of the eventual swearing-in of Ewurabena Aubynn as Ablekuma North MP.

The Minority members of the House walked out after being denied the chance to speak before the ceremony on July 22.

The protest was triggered by a request from Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, who sought to make a statement before the oath of office was administered.

However, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga objected, arguing that any concerns the Minority had could be addressed after the swearing-in.

The Speaker of Parliament sided with Ayariga on the matter, ruling that the opportunity to speak would be granted after the ceremony.

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Despite the walkout, the swearing-in proceeded as planned, formally inducting Aubynn into Ghana’s Parliament.

Aubynn sworn in after parliamentary rerun

Aubynn’s swearing-in comes after a fiercely contested parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency.

The rerun was held in 19 polling stations on July 11 following the Electoral Commission’s decision to nullify the results of the original December 2024 election due to widespread concerns over electoral irregularities and the submission of unauthenticated pink sheets.

The commission’s move to withhold final results was based on formal complaints citing unsigned result forms, discrepancies in vote tallies, and procedural violations during the collation process.

In the rerun conducted earlier this month, Aubynn secured a narrow victory with 34,090 votes, defeating the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Akua Afriyie, who got 33,881 votes.

Her victory made her the first NDC candidate to win the Ablekuma North seat.

The NDC now holds 184 out of 275 seats in Parliament, alongside four independent MPs.

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The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, expressed gratitude to Ghanaians for giving the NDC the absolute majority. He commented that the people had given them all the numbers they needed to reset Ghana.

"The NDC now, for the first time in a long while, has two-thirds of this House. Mr Speaker, with this number, we can do many good things for this country. We can carry out significant constitutional reforms to improve the country."

Ablekuma North election violence

Meanwhile, during the rerun, over a dozen unidentified men stormed the St. Peter’s polling station, disrupting the voting process and causing widespread panic.

The violence also featured assaults on NPP members like Hawa Koomson, a former MP for Awutu Senya East and Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture; Dakoa Newman, a former MP for Okaikoi South, and Chris Lloyd, Deputy National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party.

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Police were criticised for their inaction during the election, with no arrests made over a week since the incident.

Aubynn apologised over the violence that marred the rerun after she had been declared winner.

Interior Minister speaks on Ablekuma North

YEN.com.gh reported that Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak said the police were looking into the Ablekuma North election violence.

He addressed the press at the start of the government's new accountability series on July 14, describing the violence as a scar on Ghana's democracy.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh