New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah has given his account of the events that led to his arrest and detention by the Ashanti North Regional Police Command during the party’s constituency executive elections in Afigya Sekyere East.

Mr. Afrifa was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, July 12, 2026, following disturbances that disrupted the constituency election.

In a statement cited by Class FM Online, he alleged that the incumbent Member of Parliament for Afigya Sekyere East, Mavis Nkansah Boadu, proceeded with the election despite a court injunction and a directive from the NPP’s National Steering Committee suspending the exercise.

According to the statement, the party’s National Steering Committee, acting through the Acting National Chairman, issued a directive on July 6, 2026, ordering the immediate suspension of the constituency executive elections pending the outcome of an ongoing court case.

The statement explained that the directive was issued after the High Court in Kumasi granted an interim injunction restraining the party and its officials from conducting aspects of the polling station, electoral area coordinator and constituency executive elections in the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency until the substantive matter before the court had been determined.

Mr. Afrifa said he went to the election venue to serve officials with copies of both the court injunction and the party’s directive suspending the process.

He claimed that it was during this exercise that he was arrested by the police.

The NPP stalwart, who has declared his intention to contest the Afigya Sekyere East parliamentary seat, also alleged that the sitting MP and some party officials printed unauthorised ballot papers and compiled their own constituency delegates’ album for the election.

Expressing disappointment over the incident, Mr. Afrifa questioned why those seeking to enforce the court order and the party’s directive were the ones arrested.

“Regrettably… the people who had the injunction… were arrested,” the statement said.