Dr. Hanna Louisa Bissiw, CEO of the Minerals Development Fund and National Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has defended the assault on former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, asserting that “violence begets violence.”

Her comments follow chaotic scenes at the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station, where Hawa Koomson and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, were physically attacked by unidentified individuals. The incident occurred amid rerun elections across 19 polling stations in the constituency.

In an interview with Channel One TV's Fauzu Masawudu, Dr. Bissiw suggested that the assault on Koomson was a consequence of her own history of electoral violence.

“What didn’t Hawa Koomson do? What I’m trying to say is that violence begets violence. If you live by the sword, you’ll die by the sword,” she said.

Dr. Bissiw also recounted a personal experience in which she claimed to have been assaulted by thugs allegedly led by Koomson during a past electoral incident.

“I was beaten because she led thugs to come and beat me up. Has she forgotten?” she said, referring to what she described as an earlier event at a polling station in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.

While distancing the NDC from any involvement in the recent attack, Dr. Bissiw speculated that the assault might have been the result of internal tensions within the NPP.

“Nobody sent anyone to go and beat her. As far as I am concerned, it may even be an internal something that they visited on her,” she suggested.

Despite defending the incident as possibly retaliatory, Dr. Bissiw stressed that the NDC is committed to a peaceful electoral process.

“This is very peaceful. We are taking the day, and we do not have any need to destroy the elections because we are winning,” she added.

The rerun in Ablekuma North was conducted by the Electoral Commission to resolve issues stemming from the December 2024 general elections and to ensure the constituency regains parliamentary representation.

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