Mandamus: High Court directs EC to complete results in four constituencies by 6 January

The High Court in Accra has directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to complete the collation of parliamentary election results in the constituencies of Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South by 6 January 2025.

The court also instructed the Inspector General of Police to provide adequate and armed security during the collation processes.

This ruling comes after the court granted mandamus applications filed by parliamentary candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the affected constituencies.

Justice Forson Agyapong, who presided over the cases, outlined the legal principles underpinning mandamus applications, emphasizing the need to demonstrate a public duty, a demand for its execution, and significant prejudice resulting from inaction.

In Tema Central, the court found that the EC failed to fulfill its duty by not collating results from two polling stations. Justice Agyapong ruled that any declaration made without the returning officer’s authority is invalid.

For Ablekuma North, the EC had declared results based on 219 polling stations out of 281, leaving 62 polling stations uncollated. The court deemed this incomplete and ordered the collation of the outstanding results.

In Okaikwei Central, the EC was found to have based its declaration on results from only 110 out of 141 polling stations, which the court ruled was insufficient to meet its public duty.

In Techiman South, the judge determined that the EC’s declaration was based on results from just 135 of 282 polling stations, leaving 147 polling stations unaccounted for.

The court has ordered the EC to collate the results from all outstanding polling stations in these constituencies and include them in the final declarations, ensuring compliance with electoral laws and procedures.

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH

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