Akufo-Addo got 49% of votes – Haruna Iddrisu claims

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not achieve the official vote threshold to be declared winner of the December 2020 polls, leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress in parliament has said.

Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM on Tuesday evening, Haruna Iddrisu stressed that it was the reason that his party was challenging the president’s legitimacy in court.

“We are questioning the legitimacy of his election and we believe sincerely that he did not win the 2020 elections. We will soon share with you some statistics. What I do know is that, a candidate got 49.0608% not 50 plus one as is being churned out.

“If you do a proper analysis of 275 pink sheets that is in my possession and the possession of others. And the constitution provides that you must get 50 plus one percent, and that is what we are questioning in court,” the Tamale South MP added.

Electoral laws indicate that a presidential candidate must get 50% plus one of total valid votes cast to be declared winner. The Electoral Commission declared Akufo-Addo president, after the December 2020 polls, with 51.48% of votes as against 47.86% for former president John Dramani Mahama.

Mahama has since filed a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the outcome. The president and Electoral Commission are the respondents. Both parties have in their initial response asked the courts to dismiss the petition.