Afigya Sekyere East parliamentary aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah’s team, has alleged that some constituency officials printed their own ballot papers and prepared electoral materials to proceed with a suspended constituency executive election.

According to an official statement issued by the communications team of Afrifa Mensah on its official socials 'For the Records' on July 12, 2026, the alleged action was carried out despite directives from the NPP National Steering Committee and an interim injunction issued by the High Court, Kumasi, restraining the party from proceeding with aspects of the electoral process in the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency.

The statement, issued on July 12, 2026, followed the arrest of Afrifa Mensah by officers of the Ashanti North Regional Police Command on Sunday morning.

The campaign team said the NPP National Steering Committee, through its Acting National Chairman, had on July 6, 2026, directed the immediate suspension of the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency Executive Committee elections pending the determination of an ongoing court matter.

It added that the directive was issued after the High Court, Kumasi, granted an interim injunction preventing the party and its officers from proceeding with parts of the electoral process, including polling station and electoral area coordinators’ elections and the subsequent constituency executive election.

“Despite these clear directives from both the High Court and the National Steering Committee of the Party, selected constituency officials, with the assistance of heavily armed police and constituency Electoral Commission printed their own ballot papers, manufactured constituency delegates album and proceeded with arrangements to conduct the suspended constituency elections on Sunday morning,” part of the statement said.

The statement said Afrifa Mensah, who has publicly declared his intention to contest the NPP parliamentary primaries, went to the election centre after receiving information that the suspended process was taking place.

According to the campaign team, his purpose was to verify the situation and formally notify electoral officials about the court injunction and the party’s directive suspending the election.

It alleged that upon his arrival at the venue, Afrifa Mensah and some of his supporters were subjected to physical attacks by police officers and subsequently arrested.

The team claimed that Afrifa Mensah and four other members of his group sustained gunshot injuries and were receiving medical treatment.

The statement also accused the police of “failing to inform his family, lawyers or campaign team about his whereabouts for several hours after his arrest.”

It, however, stressed that Afrifa Mensah does not operate or own any vigilante group and that he and his supporters had no intention of causing harm.

Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah reportedly arrested

The campaign team confirmed that Afrifa Mensah was later transferred to the Divisional Police Command at Asante Mampong, where he remained in custody pending further lawful processes.

“We therefore urge all party faithful, supporters and members of the public to remain calm, peaceful and law- abiding, and to refrain from any actions capable of undermining public order or interfering with ongoing legal processes.

“Afrifa Mensah's commitment to the New Patriotic Party remains unwavering. His desire has always been to contribute meaningfully to the growth, unity and prosperity of the Party at every level through lawful, democratic and constitutional means,” it said.

It may be recalled that the NPP suspended its Constituency Executive Committee elections in the Afigya Sekyere East and Asante Akyem Central constituencies in the Ashanti Region following court orders restraining the party from proceeding with the electoral process.

The directive was contained in a memorandum dated July 6, 2026, and signed by the Acting National Chairman, Danquah Buttey Smith, after a meeting of the party's National Steering Committee.

According to the memorandum, the National Steering Committee was informed that courts of competent jurisdiction had issued interim injunctions, along with subsequent motions on notice, preventing the party from conducting and supervising the Constituency Executive Committee elections in the two constituencies.

The injunctions are to remain in force pending the determination of the respective applications before the courts or until otherwise directed by the courts.

The party stated that, as a law-abiding political organisation that upholds the rule of law, it is obliged to comply fully with the court orders while pursuing legal processes to challenge the injunctions and seek to have them set aside.

"Accordingly, the National Steering Committee hereby directs that, with immediate effect, all activities relating to the conduct of the Constituency Executive Committee Elections in the Afigya Sekyere East and Asante Akyem Central Constituencies be suspended until further notice, in compliance with the orders of the respective courts," the memorandum stated.

The directive was addressed to the Ashanti Regional Steering Committee, the Constituency Elections Committee for Afigya Sekyere East and Asante Akyem Central and the Constituency Executive Committees of the affected constituencies.

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