On Thursday, December 5, at approximately 12:45 p.m., immigration officers stationed at Hevi, an unapproved route in the Akatsi North District, intercepted three booklets of ballot papers. Each booklet contained 1,000 ballots, translating to 3,000 ballots in total. The interception occurred during a routine monitoring exercise by immigration officers in the Ave Havi enclave en route to Vodome in neighbouring Togo.
The suspect, Hon. Abraham Ahiabu, the current NDC Constituency Secretary for Akatsi North, was detained. During interrogation, Hon. Ahiabu claimed he was transporting the ballots to Vodome to educate voters on how to cast their ballots during elections.
However, the circumstances surrounding the incident have raised significant concerns. Hon. Ahiabu revealed that he had an additional 20,000 ballot booklets in his possession, further deepening suspicions. The choice of an unapproved route, often associated with irregular cross-border activities, has fuelled speculation about the real purpose of the ballots.
Many have questioned why individuals in Togo require voter education using Ghanaian ballots, especially so close to Ghana’s elections. These concerns have led to allegations of a possible attempt to facilitate foreign voter participation in Ghana’s electoral process.
Hon. Ahiabu has been handed over to the Ghana Police Service at the Akatsi North District headquarters for further investigation. Meanwhile, the seized ballot booklets have been transferred to the Akatsi North District Electoral Commission to verify their authenticity.
Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident to ensure the integrity of Ghana’s electoral system is not compromised.
