I didn't anticipate the level of our defeat in the parliamentary elections - Patrick Boamah

The Member of Parliament of Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has admitted that he did not expect the level of defeat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) suffered in the December parliamentary elections.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb's George Ayisi, he acknowledged that the party encountered significant challenges in the 2024 elections, leading to an outcome he did not anticipate.

"I knew we were running a very difficult election, given where we were economically and a few other issues that had happened in the country. So, I knew generally we were going to have some issues. But as to the size or the level of defeat, I didn’t anticipate that, especially in the parliamentary election," he stated.

Recounting the challenging nature of the contest, Patrick Boamah detailed the collation process at the Ghana Communication Technology University, where election results were compiled in the presence of Electoral Commission (EC) officials, party representatives, lawyers, and security agencies.

"Results from every polling station were entered on a screen in the presence of lawyers from the NPP, NDC, along with Electoral Commission officers. Political parties, as serious as we are in this country, also do our own collation at the constituency level to know the results even before the EC completes its official collation. So, the EC and the parties started the collation around 6 p.m. at the university," he explained.

According to Boamah, all necessary stakeholders observed the process, including police officers, intelligence personnel, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) officials, and the media.

"They saw the process from polling station 1 to 138. Even the two centers that were yet to be entered were ready to be recorded by the officials. The NDC lawyer, a lady lawyer who has always been at the center, was present. Our lawyer was there. Our collation officers were there. NDC, NPP, all were present. The presidential results were entered, the parliamentary results were entered. Everybody saw it," he said.

Despite the challenges, the lawmaker maintained that the legal process had upheld the integrity of the election, ensuring that he rightfully secured the seat.

Patrick Boamah was declared the winner of the seat after a re-collation of the results following a High Court directive that compelled the EC to finalize results from 31 outstanding polling stations.

He secured 21,099 votes, defeating Baba Sadiq of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who garnered 19,368 votes, leaving a victory margin of 1,731 votes.

Baba Sadiq was initially declared the winner of the seat sparking disputes and subsequent legal action.

Following the declaration, the NPP sought redress in court and The High Court ordered the EC to re-collate results from 31 polling stations that had not been included in the initial tally.

However, the re-collation affirmed Boamah as the winner, consolidating the NPP’s hold on the seat.

JKB/AE

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