High Court grants NPP’s application; orders EC to collate and redeclare results in Ablekuma North

The High Court has directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to collate and declare results from 62 outstanding polling centres in the Ablekuma North constituency, following a legal application by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The court, presided over by Justice Baah Forson Agyapong, granted a prerogative order of mandamus, compelling the EC to complete the collation process.

The order comes amid concerns that the outstanding results could significantly affect the outcome of the parliamentary race in the constituency.

The case at a glance

The Ablekuma North constituency has 281 polling stations. As of the court’s ruling, the EC had collated results from 219 polling stations, following the addition of 54 polling centres. However, the remaining 62 polling stations have yet to be included in the final tally, prompting legal action.

The NPP’s case argued that the EC’s declaration of the constituency’s results was incomplete and illegal.

The party insisted that the outstanding results must be collated to ensure fairness and transparency in the electoral process.

In its defence, the EC claimed it declared the results to ensure the safety of its officials, citing concerns over potential unrest. However, the court ruled that safety concerns do not override the legal obligation to fully collate all polling station results before declaring an election outcome.

Broader implications

The court’s judgement reinforces the critical role of procedural integrity in Ghana’s electoral process. By compelling the EC to complete the collation, the court has underscored the importance of accurate and complete election results to maintain public trust in democratic institutions.

This case is one of several recent legal challenges involving the EC’s handling of election results. The high court had earlier passed a similar judgement in the case of Tema Central, granting the NPP’s application.

The court also directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to provide adequate security during the collation process to ensure the exercise is conducted without disruptions.

As the EC prepares to comply with the court’s directive, the outcome of the Ablekuma North parliamentary race remains uncertain.

The collation of the remaining 62 polling centres could have a substantial impact on the final results, likely changing the earlier favourable declaration for National Democratic Congress’ parliamentary candidate, Ewurabena Aubynn.

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