Six NPP PCs go to court, want EC ordered to collate, declare results

Six parliamentary candidates from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the just-ended 2024 general elections have applied for judicial review, seeking an order of mandamus from the High Court.

Their request aims to compel the Electoral Commission (EC) to promptly collate and announce the parliamentary election results in their respective constituencies.

Represented by their lawyer, Gary Nimako Marfo, the candidates include Charles Forson (Tema Central), Frank Annoh-Dompreh (Nsawam-Adoagyiri), Patrick Yaw Boamah (Okaikwei Central), Martin Kweku Adjei-Mensah Korsah (Techiman South), Nana Akua Owusu Afriye (Ablekuma North), and Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh (Ahafo Ano North). Each has filed separate applications to address the issue.

The candidates are requesting two key orders from the High Court. The first is a directive compelling the EC to collate and declare the results of the parliamentary elections in their constituencies, specifically through the Returning Officer, as stipulated by law.

The second order seeks to instruct the Inspector General of Police to provide armed security at the designated collation centers, ensuring the EC can carry out its constitutional duty of supervising and conducting elections without disruption.

According to the candidates, parliamentary elections were conducted on December 7, 2024, across all 276 constituencies in the country, including their own. They argue that it is the EC's constitutional obligation to finalize and announce the results without further delay.

They aver among others that the polling process was successfully completed across all stations within the constituencies, with results announced, declared, and subsequently forwarded to the Returning Officer. As stipulated by the law, the collation of election results began on the evening of December 7, 2024, at the constituency collation center.

However, during the collation process, a group of young men and individuals identified as thugs entered the center, engaging in violent and threatening behaviors. Their actions disrupted the ongoing collation process. The post-election violence caused by these individuals in the constituencies drew significant public attention and concern across the nation.

The applicants further argue that the Electoral Commission has yet to resume compiling the results or announcing the outcome of the parliamentary elections, as mandated by the law, and thus want the court to give an order to that effect.