NDC goes to court 30 December to challenge Election 2020 results
A member of the NDC legal team, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, says the party will be in court on 30 December to challenge the election results
- "We’ll go to court. We’ve made that clear. Certainly, by Wednesday, all these matters would be placed before the court."
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has served notice it will present its petition to the court on Wednesday 30 December to challenge the outcome of Election 2020.
A member of the legal team of the largest opposition party, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, said the party has a case and will resort to the court for redress.
“We’ll go to court. We’ve made that clear. Certainly, by Wednesday, all these matters would be placed before the court,” Dafeamekpor said.
“We’re saying Electoral Commission should comply with the law. If you comply with the law and we emerge victorious that is fine. But you do not comply with the law and announce another candidate as the victor. No,” he said on news analysis programme, Newsfile, on Accra-based Joy FM.
The decision by the opposition NDC is in line with the mandated 21 days given under electoral laws for any aggrieved party in the election to file a legal challenge of the process.
Go to Court
The United States government had earlier called on the NDC to go to court to address their grievances after congratulating President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his re-lection in the just ended 7 December elections.
A statement issued by the US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan, described the just ended presidential and parliamentary elections as “free and fair”.
The statement, however, called on aggrieved parties in the just ended polls to resolve any electoral dispute in court.
“The United States expects that any electoral disputes would be resolved through established legal channels, in keeping with Ghana’s hard-earned reputation as a shining example of democracy in the region and across the world,” the statement said.
“The U.S. government stands ready to continue our strong partnership with the government and people of Ghana to advance our shared prosperity.”
The Declaration
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, on 9 December, declared Akufo-Addo the winner of the 2020 presidential elections, after defeating Mahama of the National Democratic Congress.
Akufo-Addo won by 51.59% of the total votes cast as against Mahama’s 6,214,889 representing 47.36%. Akufo-Addo polled a total of 6,70,413 votes out of the total votes of 14, 434, 574.
Crowds of jubilant supporters took to the streets in Accra and other parts of the nation to celebrate the victory of the 76-year-old New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader.
Akufo-Addo defeated John Mahama by 53.8% to 44.4% in the 2012 election.
Ghana’s elections have been historically close, with Mahama narrowly winning against Akufo-Addo in 2012 with 50.7%. In that elections, Akufo-Addo unsuccessfully challenged Mahama’s victory in the courts.
However, the minority NDC has since rejected the 2020 results, describing the election as full of irregularities in some parts of the country.
Mahama said the party is exploring all legal means to overturn the “flawed” election.
Fred Dzakpata
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