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The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 parliamentary candidate for Adentan, Akosua Manu, has come to the defense of former Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson following a violent incident at the St. Peter’s polling station in the Ablekuma North constituency.
Speaking during an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, July 13, Akosua Manu recounted details of the assault as shared by Hawa Koomson during a visit by former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his team to the former minister’s residence.
According to Manu, Hawa Koomson was peacefully observing the parliamentary rerun when a group of young men, allegedly targeting her, charged toward her in what she described as a coordinated attack.
“She said as she was entering one of the polling stations, she was told she could only go in with one person. Her personal security detail stayed back. As she was observing, she overheard people asking ‘where is she?’ and suddenly noticed a group of young men approaching her,” Manu narrated.
“She recognised one of them and observed that one appeared to be holding an object resembling a weapon. That’s when she reached for her pepper spray and used it in self-defense. She said if not for the pepper spray, the situation could have been far worse.”
Manu emphasized that Hawa Koomson had no intention of stirring confusion at the polling station and was only present to monitor proceedings, as allowed by electoral regulations.
“She didn’t go there to incite violence. What happened to her was clearly a politically motivated assault,” she stated.
The incident, which occurred during the July 11 rerun of parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations, sparked widespread outrage after reports emerged that both Hawa Koomson and NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie were assaulted. Two journalists were also reportedly injured during the chaos.
Akosua Manu has called on political leaders and stakeholders to condemn violence of any kind, particularly during elections, which she described as vital to preserving Ghana’s democratic integrity.
“This is not the Ghana we want. Democracy must be protected, and no one should fear for their life while participating in the electoral process,” she stressed.
