Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah, Patrick Yaw Boamah, and Charles Forson of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been confirmed as MP-elects for Techiman South, Okaikwei Central, and Tema Central, respectively.
This comes after a series of court-ordered collation activities aimed at resolving unresolved election results.
Details of the rulings.
Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah regained his seat in Techiman South with 46,663 votes, defeating National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Christopher Bayere Basongti, who received 43,429 votes.
The collation occurred at the Electoral Commission’s (EC) regional headquarters in Accra, as directed by the High Court.
Patrick Yaw Boamah won Okaikwei Central with 21,099 votes, defeating Baba Sadiq of the NDC, who received 19,368 votes.
The announcement was issued after the EC finished collecting the missing results from 31 polling stations.
Charles Forson was recognized as the winner of Tema Central following a recount of two unresolved polling stations.
Forson received 18,870 votes, narrowly defeating Ebi Bright of the NDC, who received 18,815 votes.
Frederick Aniagyei received 209 votes. The total number of valid votes was 37,894, with 144 ballots invalidated.
Background & Context.
The High Court’s orders came after NPP candidates filed mandamus motions to compel the EC to complete collation processes in numerous seats, including Ablekuma North.
Justice Forson Agyapong, who ruled over the proceedings, explained the legal basis for the motions, citing the EC’s failure to carry out its statutory duties.
Okaikwei Central had just 110 out of 141 polling stations declared, while Techiman South had 135 out of 282 polling stations with incomplete results.
Similarly, Ablekuma North’s results excluded 62 out of 281 polling stations, while Tema Central’s tabulation left out two polling stations.
The EC ascribed some of these delays to threats to its employees and operational difficulties throughout the collation processes.
Legal and Electoral Implications
Justice Agyapong stressed that the EC must follow electoral regulations and account for all polling station results before making final announcements.
He emphasized that only declarations issued by the returning officer are legally binding.
The court also directed the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare, to provide security during the collation processes to guarantee a peaceful outcome.
These cases highlight the High Court’s role in ensuring electoral transparency and fairness.
The confirmation of MPs-elect in these seats restores trust in the democratic process, ensuring that every vote is properly represented in the final results.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has begun proceedings to challenge the High Court’s decision, which it describes as erroneous.
The opposition party, which is poised to create the next administration, claims that its candidates were legitimate winners in the aforementioned constituencies.
