One person has been injured and three others arrested after violence disrupted the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Constituency Executive Elections in the Bantama Constituency of the Ashanti Region.

The disturbances reportedly began when a group of individuals allegedly stormed the election venue, insisting that the exercise should not proceed because some party members had obtained a court injunction to halt the polls.

Eyewitnesses said the group disrupted the voting process, vandalised election materials and challenged the legitimacy of officials supervising the exercise, claiming they were not personnel of the Electoral Commission and therefore had no authority to conduct the election.

One witness alleged that the attackers destroyed electoral materials, leaving one person injured before the voting process was suspended.

“The machomen invaded the venue and started smashing election materials. One person was injured, and the election has been put on hold,” the witness said.

The Bantama Constituency has been at the centre of internal disputes in recent weeks following allegations and counter-allegations between the incumbent Constituency Chairman and the First Vice Chairman over the alleged removal of the names of some delegates from the constituency electoral album.

The injunction was filed by three NPP members—Paul Asare, Marcus James Kwadwo Osei and Enoch Ofori Amanfo—who sought to restrain the party, the supervisor of the constituency elections and the NPP Bantama Constituency from proceeding with the elections.

Although the court order was reportedly served on the party’s national headquarters and the relevant election officials, some individuals allegedly proceeded with the electoral process.

The resulting confrontation forced the suspension of the elections, leaving delegates stranded at the Kumasi Cultural Centre, where the polls were being held.

Police personnel were deployed to the venue to restore calm, while three suspects were arrested in connection with the incident. Authorities are expected to continue investigations into the disturbances.