The government has condemned the assault on two journalists who were covering the Ablekuma North election re-run, describing the incident as both regrettable and unacceptable.
In an interview with JoyNews at the Presidency, Deputy Minister for Government Communications, Shamima Muslim, praised the Ghana Police Service for its prompt response, including the withdrawal and interdiction of the officer involved in the assault on a GHOne journalist.
She is calling for calm and urging the police to take firm action against anyone who attempts to incite violence or disrupt the electoral process.
Tensions escalated dramatically at the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station in Odorkor, part of the Ablekuma North constituency.
The electoral rerun was violently disrupted when a group of unidentified “macho men” stormed the premises in coordinated fashion, arriving in a pickup truck accompanied by multiple motorbikes, forcing panic among voters, electoral personnel and security forces.
Moment masked hoodlum lashed out at JoyNews reporter without provocation.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/iiAutGghzu
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) July 11, 2025
Eye‐witnesses report that the assailants overpowered the security detail and launched an assault on several political figures, including former MP and ex‐Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson.
Disturbing video footage shows her being forced to the ground and reportedly stomped in the chest and groin area before officers intervened.
Other victims included NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie and a female party agent, both reportedly injured amid the turmoil.
Later in the morning, a JoyNews journalist was slapped and pushed by a thug.
Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has already condemned the violent incidents reported during the ongoing parliamentary rerun in Ablekuma North.