Ghana's ruling party has sought a court order to stop voting in a region that will decide who will be the country's next president, a party spokesman said.

The New Patriotic Front (NPP) referred to the safety situation in the Tain constituency as the reason the party tried to delay the voting scheduled for Friday.

"We are trying to stop the election because we think the security situation on the ground is not conducive for a free and fair election. There is a lot of tension there," Arthur Kennedy of the New Patriotic Front (NPP) said.

"We are concerned about the safety of ordinary citizens and all of us." 

With just over 23,000 votes separating the two main presidential candidates after ballots were counted in Ghana's 229 other constituencies, the 53,000 eligible voters in Tain will decide the outcome.

Problems with distributing ballot papers halted their participation in Sunday's run-off poll.

Police and military were deployed throughout the Tain constituency on Thursday.

Kennedy said John Kufuor, Ghana's president who is due to step down on January 7
after serving the maximum two terms in office, had cancelled his campaign in Tain for Akufo-Addo due to security concerns.

Opposition lead

So far, John Atta-Mills, opposition National Democratic Congress candidate, leads with 50.13 per cent of votes over his ruling party rival Nana Akufo-Addo, holding 49.87 per cent.

International observers have judged the election process so far as generally orderly and transparent, but each party has accused the other's supporters of violence
and irregularities during Sunday's ballot.

The run-off vote followed joint presidential and parliamentary elections held on December 7 after none of the contenders managed to win the more than 50 per cent needed for an outright victory.

The opposition NDC won the parliamentary vote, securing 114 of Ghana's 230-seat parliament.