NDC Secretary in Volta Region Arrested with 23,000 Ballot Papers

In the Volta Region, Abraham Ahiabu, an NDC Constituency Secretary, was arrested under questionable circumstances with 23,000 ballots. On Thursday, December 5, 2024, the event happened as immigration agents were on a routine patrol in the Akatsi North District.

Around 12:45 p.m., the arrest occurred close to Hevi, an unauthorized route frequently associated with cross-border activity, according to Ghana Web sources. Ahiabu was delivering the ballots when he was stopped by police officers on patrol in the Ave Havi neighborhood on his way to Vodome, a border town close to Togo.

According to Ghana Web, preliminary results showed that there were three ballot booklets totaling 3,000 papers, with 1,000 sheets in each booklet. However, more searches revealed that he was in possession of 20,000 more ballots. Ahiabu, the Constituency Secretary for Akatsi North, asserted that he was delivering the ballots to Vodome in order to conduct voter education.

Concerns regarding his motivations have been greatly raised by the discovery, especially since he took an unapproved path. In light of Ghana's impending elections, authorities believe the papers may have been meant for electoral fraud.

To ensure their legitimacy, the confiscated materials have been turned over to the local Electoral Commission. Ahiabu, meantime, has been moved to the Ghana Police Service for additional examination.

This occurrence has sparked concerns about the integrity and security of the election, leading to a review of safeguards. A lot of people are speculating about a possible attempt to rig the polls, maybe involving foreign voters, because of the closeness of the elections and the inexplicable presence of so many ballots.

The authorities promised to look into the situation in detail and make sure the elections' integrity was maintained.