Following a High Court directive on Saturday, January 4, the re-collation of two outstanding polling stations for Tema Central at the Accra Regional Office has confirmed Charles Forson of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the winner.
Forson secured 18,870 votes, narrowly defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Ebi Bright, who polled 18,815 votes, and Frederick Aniagyei, who received 209 votes.
The total valid votes stood at 37,894, with 144 rejected ballots, making the overall total votes cast 38,038.
The High Court’s order required the Electoral Commission (EC) to complete the collation of results in Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South by January 6, 2025. The court also mandated the Inspector General of Police to provide armed security during the collation exercises to ensure a peaceful process.
This ruling followed mandamus applications filed by NPP candidates in the affected constituencies, compelling the EC to fulfil its statutory duties. Justice Forson Agyapong, who presided over the cases, clarified the legal grounds for mandamus applications, including jurisdictional lapses, errors of law, and breaches of natural justice principles. He emphasized the EC’s obligation to perform its public duties without prejudice.
In Tema Central, the court determined that the EC failed to complete its duty by excluding two polling stations from the results. Justice Agyapong stated that only the returning officer’s declaration is legally valid.
For Ablekuma North, the EC had declared results from 219 out of 281 polling stations, leaving 62 uncollated. Similarly, in Okaikwei Central, results from 110 out of 141 polling stations were declared, while Techiman South saw results based on 135 out of 282 polling stations.
Justice Agyapong ordered the collation of all outstanding polling station results in these constituencies and their inclusion in the final declarations, ensuring compliance with electoral laws and the principles of fair representation.
Source: GhChronicle.com
