EC's lawyers pray for appropriate court orders to complete collation
By DL News
Published
2 min read
Justin Amenuvor, counsel for the EC, emphasized the importance of the court’s intervention, stating: “If this court does not provide the necessary orders for the EC to complete its work within the framework set by Constitutional Instrument...
The Electoral Commission's (EC) legal representative has appealed to the High Court to grant orders enabling the EC to finalize the collation of results at contested collation centers. This plea was made during a hearing for a mandamus application following disputed parliamentary elections in four constituencies, which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has legally contested.
Justin Amenuvor, counsel for the EC, emphasized the importance of the court’s intervention, stating:
“If this court does not provide the necessary orders for the EC to complete its work within the framework set by Constitutional Instrument (C.I 127), it risks setting a perilous precedent. This could allow unruly individuals to disrupt collation centers, bypass lawful procedures, and falsely declare results using unofficial documents.”
Earlier, legal representatives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) argued that the collation in the Tema Central Constituency was interrupted due to alleged intimidation. They claimed the person who declared the NDC’s Ebi Bright as the winner was not the official EC returning officer.
During proceedings at the General Jurisdiction of the High Court in Accra on January 1, 2025, NPP lawyer Gary Nimako Marfo presented video evidence to support their case. The footage allegedly showed Mr. John Nunoo holding an A4 sheet and making the announcement instead of Mr. Kwesi Brobbey, the designated EC returning officer.
Based on this, Mr. Marfo urged the court to compel the EC to complete the collation and officially declare the constituency’s results.
In the video played in court, Malik Basintale, Deputy National Communications Officer for the NDC, was heard stating:
“Our issue is not with the police; our issue is with the EC officer. We will ensure he declares Ebi Bright the winner, whether he agrees or not. If the NPP objects, they can seek redress in court.”
Mr. Marfo argued that allowing such actions to stand would undermine the electoral process, stating:
“Permitting unauthorized declarations without full polling station results sets a dangerous precedent. It could enable anyone to bypass lawful processes and proclaim results, a responsibility strictly reserved for authorized EC officers under the law.”
He further asserted that incomplete collation fails to represent a legitimate outcome, effectively disenfranchising voters who participated in the process.
