Ghana’s High Court Orders Completion of Okaikwei Central Election Results Collation by EC

On January 4, 2025, the High Court issued a significant ruling directing the Electoral Commission (EC) to collate and declare the results from 31 outstanding polling stations in the Okaikwei Central constituency.

This decision follows an application filed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which argued that the initial results were incomplete, as they did not account for all polling stations.

The Okaikwei Central constituency consists of 141 polling stations, but the EC only collated results from 110 stations before declaring the outcome. The declaration followed advice from security officers at the collation center, who urged that the results be declared to prevent potential unrest among supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). After the partial declaration, NDC supporters, led by candidate Baba Sadiq, celebrated, easing tensions in the area. However, the NPP raised concerns that the 31 missing polling stations were crucial to ensuring fairness and transparency, leading to their legal challenge.

Justice Baah Forson Agyapong, presiding over the case, granted the NPP’s application for a prerogative order of mandamus, compelling the EC to complete the collation process. The court’s ruling highlighted that the EC had failed to fulfill its legal duty to fully complete the results collation, thereby undermining the electoral process. This failure was deemed prejudicial to the parties involved, necessitating judicial intervention.

While the court acknowledged the security challenges that influenced the partial declaration, it also emphasized that the incomplete process could not be allowed to stand. To prevent further disruptions, the court instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to provide adequate security during the completion of the collation process.

The ruling ensures that the final results for Okaikwei Central will reflect all polling stations, maintaining the integrity of the election. With security arrangements in place, the Electoral Commission is now expected to complete the process and declare the final outcome, ensuring fairness and transparency in the electoral process.