Former MP Hawa Koomson attacked during Ablekuma North rerun in Ghana
An electoral rerun in Ghana's Ablekuma North constituency on July 11, 2025, saw former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Hawa Koomson, assaulted by a group of individuals. The incident occurred at the Methodist Church St. Peter鈥檚 polling station in Odorkor, where Koomson, also a former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, was observing the process. Videos circulated showing men overpowering security, pushing Koomson to the ground, and kicking and dragging her. Police intervened, and she was hospitalized for injuries. Two other individuals, NPP deputy organiser Chris Lloyd Nii Kwei and Majeed Mohammed Sanaa, were also attacked in separate incidents during the same exercise. Conflicting accounts emerged, with some eyewitnesses suggesting Koomson provoked the violence, citing her history and reports of her using pepper spray. Koomson, however, maintained she was observing the process to support the NPP candidate when she was unprovokedly attacked by men she described as NDC-affiliated "thugs" or "machomen," stating she used pepper spray in self-defense after men brandished knives. The incident led to widespread discussion on electoral violence and political thuggery.
