Election petition: I’m in court to clear all doubts – Mahama

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Ghana’s opposition leader, John Dramani Mahama, has stated he wants to clear all doubts surrounding the 7 December election hence his decision to head to the Supreme Court to challenge the results.

Mahama filed a petition on Wednesday in the apex court seeking for a re-run of the election, arguing the Electoral Commission failed to respect the rules of the Ghana.

“Some people have asked me what I hope to gain by challenging the results of this election, let me tell you, I want perhaps the very same thing my opponent wanted when in 2012 he challenged the results of that election. I want the removal of doubt,” Mahama said.

“I want for all of us to know that our elections should be free, fair and safe and that we do not have to settle for a process that leaves us confused and with more questions than answers. I want a Ghana where institutions of state can be held to account where we stand on principle and demand transparency without the risk of losing our lives. When people lose their lives as seven people have done in the cause of our elections we’re moving backwards not forward,” he added.

“I’m here to assure you that I know what it’s to act in the interest of peace… I know what it’s to concede and I have done so before. In 2016 when the election was not called in my favour I conceded. I conceded not simply in the interest of peace and democracy, but because I respect the will of the people. I did then and I so do now. So, when I say that I’ll not concede this election please know that I’m not taking this decision lightly.

“Understand that it is not because of the desire for power but because of the dedication to principle and a commitment to democracy. Based on the irregular and inconsistent results that were reported I have reasons to believe this election was not free, fair or transparent. And without those fundamental pillars in place how can we be sure that the results announced truly represents the will of the people,” he stressed.

Election petition

The opposition National Democratic Congress on Wednesday filed a case at the Supreme Court, asking for a re-run of the presidential elections held on 7 December 2020.

Mahama argued that the elections were flawed and fraught with irregularities hence the apex court of the West African nation must annul the results.

In his election petition dated 30 December, he asked for “an order of mandatory injunction directing the Electoral Commission to proceed to conduct a second election.”

Among the reliefs being sought by the former Ghanaian leader, the opposition is asking the Supreme Court to rule that the “purported declaration made on 9th December 2020 of the results of the presidential election by Mrs. Jean Mensa, chairperson of the Electoral Commission, is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”

Mahama is also asking the court to restrain the winner Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from “holding himself out as president-elect.”

According to him, the grounds for his petition include the fact that the election declaration was “made arbitrarily, capriciously, and with bias” in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo, adding it “violated the constitutional duty imposed” on the electoral commissioner.

On 9 December, the electoral commission declared Akufo-Addo winner of the 2020 election having secured 51.59 percent of the vote, ahead of Mahama with 47.36 percent.

Mahama and Akufo-Addo are long-standing rivals and this was their third election battle. In 2012, it was Akufo-Addo who contested Mahama’s win.

Source: Daily Mail GH