Hearings on four contested constituencies are concluded by the High Court, and a verdict is scheduled for January 4.

Hearings on the controversial issues involving Tema Central, Okaikwei Central, Techiman South, and Ablekuma North, four parliamentary seats, have come to an end at an Accra High Court. After heated legal arguments from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Electoral Commission (EC), and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a judgment on the issues has been set for Saturday, January 4 at 12 p.m. Gary Nimako, the NPP’s attorney in the Tema Central case, said that the collation procedure was disorganized and insufficient, and that the alleged results statement did not include two polling places. According to him, the NDC, which declares victory, has not produced pink papers to support the assertion.

In support of this stance, the EC requested that the court order it to finish the collation process. However, NDC attorney Edudzi Tamakloe contested the motion, claiming that an election petition, not a mandamus application, was the appropriate course of action if the declaration had been made in violation of election statutes (C.I. 147). Mandamus could not apply until there was proof of a demand made and rejected by the EC, he said, quoting a letter from the NPP candidate accepting a declaration. Similar arguments were made in support of Okaikwei Central. The NPP’s attorney for Patrick Boamah contended that they sent the EC a demand notice requesting that a proper collation be completed. He argued that just 110 of the 148 polling places

Reiterating its stance, the EC urged the court to order it to complete the collation and pointed out that only 78% of the voting places were counted when the results were announced. In response, Mr. Tamakloe, speaking on behalf of the NDC, said that Mr. Boamah’s letter to the EC recognized a declaration and asked for the results to be revoked—a move that can only be made through an election appeal. He maintained that as the EC had already carried out its obligation—albeit purportedly incorrectly—mandamus was not relevant. Gary Nimako asked the court to evaluate the applications for the remaining constituencies in light of the evidence and papers that were provided. Despite not raising any objections, the EC asked the court to carefully consider all available information, including video evidence. The NDC demanded that distinct justifications be provided for these

Source: Myjoyonline.com