Dr. Hanna Louisa Bissiw, CEO of the Minerals Development Fund and National Women’s Organiser for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has sparked controversy after appearing to justify a violent attack on former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson during a chaotic parliamentary rerun in Ablekuma North.
In an interview with Channel One TV,Madam Bissiw made no apologies for the assault, which occurred during a rerun ordered by the Electoral Commission across 19 polling stations.
Hawa Koomson and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, were both reportedly attacked by a group of unidentified men at the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station.
“What didn’t Hawa Koomson do?” Bissiw asked, referencing the former minister’s controversial history with election-related violence. “Violence begets violence. If you live by the sword, you’ll die by the sword.”
The remarks drew immediate criticism on social media, with many calling them reckless and inflammatory. But Bissiw doubled down, recalling a previous encounter in which she claims to have been physically assaulted by Koomson’s allies during an incident at a polling station in Ayawaso West Wuogon.
“I was beaten because she led thugs to come and beat me up. Has she forgotten?” she said.
While distancing the NDC from Friday’s violence, Madam Bissiw floated a theory that the attack may have originated from within the NPP itself, calling it possibly “an internal something” meant to target Koomson.
“Nobody sent anyone to go and beat her,” she added. “As far as I am concerned, it may even be an internal matter they visited on her.”
Still, Madam Bissiw insisted her party was committed to a peaceful democratic process, claiming that the NDC had no incentive to cause disruption. “We are taking the day,” she said. “We do not have any need to destroy the elections because we are winning.”
The rerun was triggered by irregularities in the December 2024 general election, leaving Ablekuma North without a Member of Parliament for over a year. Friday’s polls were marred by multiple incidents of violence and intimidation, raising fresh concerns about political accountability and election security in one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.
