A fire that broke out early on Tuesday, December 17, at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools in Accra has destroyed several ballot boxes from the Ablekuma North constituency.
The fire is believed to have started in the school’s library, which had been temporarily used to store the ballot boxes from the December 7 general elections.
Eyewitnesses living near the school reported seeing thick smoke and flames engulfing the building shortly after the blaze began.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) was promptly alerted, and officers quickly arrived at the scene to contain the fire.
Alex King Nartey, the Fire Service’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed via a livestream on Facebook that fire crews worked swiftly to control the flames. He said, “We received information that the school was used for storing the ballot boxes, and that’s why we’re here. We managed to extinguish the fire and salvage the buildings. Only one area was left at risk, but we worked hard to prevent it from reigniting.”
The fire was brought under control with help from fire officers from Anyaa, the Fire Service Headquarters, and Circle.
The Ablekuma North parliamentary race, which was one of the most closely watched in the December 7 elections, remains unresolved.
This constituency is among the 12 disputed areas where election results have yet to be officially declared. A recount has been ordered, as the outcome is still under contention.
The contest for the seat is a fierce battle between Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Ewurabena Aubynn of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Although the Electoral Commission (EC) initially declared the seat for the NDC candidate, it later reversed this decision, calling the declaration illegal, and announced plans for a re-collation exercise in the constituency.
