The Electoral Commission (EC) has nullified the results of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primary re-run in Walewale after an unidentified individual caused chaos by destroying several ballot papers during the sorting process.

The incident occurred on Monday, 9 September 2024, leaving the outcome of the re-run undecided.

Gabriel Manu, the Electoral Commissioner for Walewale, recounted the events to journalists, noting the voting had proceeded smoothly until the unexpected disruption.

“We started, and everything went very well. We finished voting, and after the voting, we did the sorting. Just when we were about to finish the sorting and do the counting, a certain man from nowhere came in, took the ballot papers, and destroyed most of them,” Mr Manu stated.

The police quickly arrested the suspect, identified as Kamara Bawah, who is now in custody assisting with the investigation.

Despite efforts to salvage some of the damaged ballots, the extent of the destruction made it impossible to determine a winner.

“After the sorting, we realised that some of the ballot papers are badly damaged in such a way that you cannot determine if they are for candidate A or B… We have to stop there for the party to take the decision… We couldn’t determine the winner today,” Mr Manu added.

Following the incident, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) restored order and heightened security in Walewale and surrounding areas.