Address Ablekuma North violence to avoid future election bloodshed – Ntim Fordjour

The Member of Parliament for Assin South Constituency, John Ntim Fordjour, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of individuals responsible for the violence that characterized the 2024 parliamentary election rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency.

In an X post on Thursday, July 24, 2025, the MP accused the opposition National Democratic Congress of being complicit in the violence, warning that a failure to ensure justice will reduce Ghana’s democracy to state-sponsored violence.

“Ablekuma North election violence needs to be addressed seriously to avoid bloodshed in future elections. Democracy cannot be reduced to government-sponsored violence. NDC thugs complicit are still walking free. Arrest all now and prosecute them before the Akwatia by-election,” wrote the MP, who is also the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament.

The MP’s post comes on the heels of a decision by the Minority Caucus to boycott the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review presented by the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on Thursday.

At the commencement of proceedings on Thursday, the Minority indicated their intent to make a statement on the floor regarding electoral violence.

However, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, while noting the importance of the issue, denied the request, stating that the matter would be thoroughly discussed at a later date.

Displeased by the Speaker’s directive, the Minority members staged a walkout from the chamber in protest.

The Caucus visited the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Presidency, and the Coalition of Domestic Electoral Observers (CODEO) to raise concerns and demand immediate action on the Ablekuma North electoral violence.

GA