General News of Friday, 27 December 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

LIVESTREAMED: Supreme Court hears NDC’s application challenging EC’s parliamentary seat redeclarations

A panel of justices of the Supreme Court play videoA panel of justices of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Ghana is today, Friday, December 27, 2024, hearing an application by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) challenging the recent declaration and redeclaration of the parliamentary election results of 9 constituencies that were in dispute.

The Electoral Commission, on Friday, December 20, 2024, went ahead with the recount and continued collation of the parliamentary election results of 9 constituencies for the just-ended 2024 general election despite opposition by the NDC.

Before the re-collation and re-declaration exercise, the NDC claimed it had acquired a court order that barred the EC from going on with the declaration which had been properly served on the commission.

The party has held the position that the electoral laws of the country state that once election results are declared, the only way they can be challenged is in the courts.

After the exercises on Saturday, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidates in seven of the constituencies whose processes were completed by the EC were declared winners.

Four seats, which were initially declared for the NDC, namely Obuasi East, Okaikwei Central, Tema Central, and Techiman South, were re-declared in favour of the NPP.

The Obuasi East seat, which was initially declared for NDC’s Samuel Aboagye, was re-declared for NPP’s Patrick Boakye-Yiadom; the Tema Central seat, which was declared for NDC’s Ebi Bright, was re-declared for NPP’s Charles Forson.

Also, the Techiman South seat was re-declared for NPP’s Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah after it had been initially declared for Christopher Beyere Baasongti, and the Okaikwei Central seat was re-declared for NPP’s Dr Patrick Boamah after it was initially declared for NDC’s Baba Sadiq.

The Nsawam Adoagyiri, Ahafo Ano South West, and Ahafo Ano North constituencies, which were initially incomplete, were also declared in favour of the NPP’s Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Eric Nana Agyeman-Prempeh, and Elvis Osei Mensah Dapaah, respectively.

Two constituencies - Ablekuma North and Dome Kwabenya - are, however, yet to be determined.

For the Ablekuma North Constituency, NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn was declared the winner of the constituency’s seat without the results of 62 polling stations.

The NPP’s candidate for the constituency is Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh, a former MP and the current Deputy Chief Executive of the Coastal Development Authority. For Dome Kwabenya, NDC’s Elikplim Akurugu was declared the winner of the constituency’s seat, beating NPP’s Mike Oquaye Jnr.

Watch a livestream of the hearing below:



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Watch a compilation of the latest Twi news below:



Watch as Jean Mensa addresses issues with 9 constituencies whose results are yet to be declared