Incumbent Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West Ursula Owusu Erkuful has finally cast her ballot after being turned away on two occassions in a delayed parliamentary primary ongoing in the constituency.

The MP initially could not find her name in an album that caused so much rift within the constituency and has led to mass resignations by constituency executives.

It took the intervention of the NPP's Director of Elections Martin Adjei Mensah for the challenge to be resolved, Joy News' Latif Iddris reported. As the MP of the constituency, Ursula Owusu, by the party's regulation was entitled to vote even if her name was not in the register.

She voted only minutes before the polls ended. Her competitor Roni Nicole however could not vote because he did not see his name in the album and he was neither an executive nor an MP.

Voting

Voting began around 8:30 am in the Ablekuma West New Patriotic Party primary amidst mass resignation by the constituency executives of the party.

The constituency organised the late primary Saturday, to elect a candidate to represent the NPP ahead of the 2016 polls but the problems that led to the postponement of the elections were far from over.

After several months of postponement the party scheduled the election for Saturday April 9, 2016 but on the eve of election day, the acting chairman, his vice, women's organiser and ten other constituency executives all resigned citing manipulation by the incumbent MP Ursula Owusu Ekuful.

Joy News' Latif Iddris who is present at the Constituency to monitor events of the election said only two constituency executives were left at post- the organizer and his deputy.

One of the candidates, Theophilus Tetteh pulled out of the election claiming the decision by the National Executive Council to use two albums for the election is only to favour the incumbent.

Reports said, Theophilus Tetteh was the former chairman of the constituency and had compiled the album for the previous election. However, with Saturday's election in the offing, the National Executive Council of the party decided that a second album be added to be used side-by-side in the election, a decision which angered Mr Tetteh and the constituency executives.

Only two candidates- Ursula Owusu and Roni Nicole- were left in an election in which the incumbent was the overwhelming favorite.

Ursula Owusu was confidence she would win the election.

"Based on my proven track record of performance in the constituency in the last election and my interactions with all the delegates and the work i have been able to do in the constituency since i was elected MP.  

"It is not something which is hidden. It is something that everybody is aware of and they have assured me that i shouldn't worry that they will vote for me.

"Until the votes are counted and the ballot declared you can't be sure but i am confident that in this constituency i will win," she said.

Her confidence notwithstanding, Ursula Owusu also protested that most of his candidates could not find their names in the register and were not allowed to vote.

She and her competitor suffered similar fates later on even though she voted because she is an MP.

In all, some 1,200 delegates cast their ballots. Latif Iddris reported the process was very peaceful.