Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has expressed strong confidence in his party’s chances of winning the upcoming parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency, while levelling sharp criticism at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie.

Gbande’s remarks follow the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to rerun parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations within the constituency, citing irregularities in the original results from the December 7, 2024, general elections.

The decision has been fiercely contested by the NPP, which has described it as “unjust” and accused the EC of proceeding without broad consensus during stakeholder consultations. The party has since filed an interlocutory injunction to block the rerun and has declared its intention to boycott the process altogether.

Appearing on Face to Face on Channel One TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Tuesday, July 8, Mustapha Gbande backed the EC’s directive and expressed strong support for the NDC’s parliamentary candidate, Ewurabena Aubynn.

He took aim at NPP candidate Nana Akua Afriyie, accusing her of running an unserious campaign and lacking the leadership qualities required for public office.

“The NPP candidate [Nana Akua Afriyie] has not demonstrated a lot of competence in her campaign. They believe that Ablekuma North is a theatre for dancing, which is how to pull a crowd. Let’s go and dance and share money for people to vote for them.”

Gbande further alleged that the former Ambassador’s past record had tainted her credibility, referencing claims of visa-related misconduct.

“She’s a character who is under public scrutiny because of her role when she was an Ambassador, her activities there, including some allegations of having been involved in visa issues and extortion,” he alleged.

“This record can’t take a person to Parliament. The NPP has used a cruel manner of ways to impose her, but the system has rejected that imposition,” he added.

Looking ahead to the rerun scheduled for Friday, July 11, Gbande expressed optimism that the NDC would claim victory and expand its representation in Parliament.

“Friday, July 11, should the election come on, it will be an addition to the number of seats we have in Parliament. We will win that election. As far as I’m concerned, this election will be won by the NDC,” he declared.