Ghana’s opposition party to present petition against election results this week

Ghana’s main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has scandalized the results of the presidential and legislative elections on December 7, says it is ready to challenge the result in court.

A member of the party’s legal team, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, said on Saturday that the election petition against the results declared by the Election Commission (EC) would be filed by Wednesday.

“We will go to court. We made it clear… It is certain that by Wednesday, all these questions would be submitted to the tribunal, ”said Dafeamekpor, quoted by local media.

Under electoral laws, the aggrieved party has 21 days to file its petition in court.

This will be the second time in the Fourth Republic, which began in 1992, that the result of a presidential election will be challenged in court.

In 2012, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was a candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), refused to concede to John Dramani Mahama and challenged the result in court.

After eight months, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition and confirmed Mahama as the winner.

This time, it is the reverse as Mahama challenges the victory of outgoing President Akufo-Addo, who won in 2016.

The Supreme Court, in new rules unveiled just before the election, will hear the petition in 42 days.

The EC declared Akufo-Addo the winner with around 51% of the vote while Mahama was credited with around 47%.

In the parliamentary vote, the NDC and NPP each have 137 seats in the 275-member chamber, while an independent candidate also won a seat.

Both parties say they will challenge the results of a series of court seats.

Mr. Dafeamekpor noted that the EC has repeatedly flouted the laws governing the conduct of elections.

Members of the NDC staged protests across the country to protest the “stolen verdict”. Police have banned all protests in Accra until January 10. Akufo-Addo will be inaugurated for his second term on January 7.

“If the EC is willing to comply with the law, that will end the problem. It is not a question of declaring the seat in our [NDC] favor, that’s not what we’re saying, ”Dafeamekpor said.

“We say [EC should] in accordance with the law. If you follow the law and we come out victorious, that’s fine. But you are breaking the law and announcing another candidate as the winner. No. “He added.

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