NPP goes for broke; files writs challenging 38 parliamentary seats

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Madina Constituency in the December 2012 election is challenging the validity of the election of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Constituency.

Mr James Amoah, who filed his petition against the Electoral Commission (EC) and the MP, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, before an Accra Fast Track Court yesterday, is claiming to be the winner of the just ended December 2012 parliamentary election conducted in the Constituency.

According to him, the irregularities that took place during the election in the Madina Constituency made him lose in the declared results.

The petition is that one of the 38 constituencies being contested nationwide, including the Mfanstiman Constituency in the Central Region, being championed by the NPP candidate, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng.

Mr Amoah, though his counsel, Mr Ayikoi Otoo, and in pursuant to the 1992 Constitution and the Representation of the People’s Act 1992, PNDC 248, has, therefore, brought up the action and is asking the court to declare him the duly elected MP for the Madina Constituency.

Meanwhile, the court will today determine security cost to be paid by the petitioner, after he had filed a motion ex-Parte before it as a requirement for the validity of election petitions.

Citing two grounds of instituting the action against the EC and Alhaji Sorogho, Mr Amoah noted that the provisions of the 1992 Constitution, the Representation of the peoples Act (PNDCL 284) as amended, as well as the Public Elections Regulations C.I. 75, which governs elections in the country, had been flouted during the conduct of the December 2012 elections in the Madina Constituency.

According to Mr Amoah , over voting took place at several polling stations at the constituency , making the total valid and rejected votes exceed the number of ballots issued to voters. The petitioner also asserted that contrary to the Public Elections Regulations C.I 75, voters in several polling stations in the Madina Constituency voted without biometric verification.

It is his contention that figures on the blue/black electoral sheets were amended several times over doubts raised against figures recorded for the polling stations.

Subsequently, the petitioner noted that there was need to scrutinize the collated figures that declared the NDC candidate, Alhaji Sorogho, winner, which would clearly show that the gazetted MP was not the winner of the election.

The petitioner pointed out that the failure of complying with the regulations that guided the elections, indicated that the Madina Constituency was not done in accordance with the law, and as such, affected the final results of the election.

Mr Amoah is further asking the court to nullify over 12, 000 votes, and deduct same from the total votes credited to the NDC candidate, Alhaji Sorogho, to pave the way for him to be declared winner of the election at the Madina Constituency.