Only a court can address your election grievances – CDD to NDC, Mahama

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has advised the opposition National Democratic Congress to use the courtroom to address their grievances over the results of the just-ended presidential elections.

The call comes after the opposition NDC and its flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama rejected the outcome of the Presidential elections after the Jean Mensa led Electoral Commission declared Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the winner of the December 7 polls.

Addressing the press and the international community after the EC declared the Presidential elections, John Dramani Mahama said he cannot accept what he described as “Fictionalised” electoral results declared by the Electoral Commission’s Chairperson.

“We will not accept anything short of a declaration of the legitimate results which points to an NDC Parliamentary majority,” Mr. Mahama said.

Reacting to this in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at CDD, Dr. Kojo Asante appealed to the NDC to use legal means to address their grievances.

“Mr. Mahama, the NDC, and the NPP are very experienced people when it comes to elections. They know that whatever the issue is, one must know the appropriate process that ought to apply. If you are challenging a result, you have to ensure that the pink sheet the EC is using, is different from what you are using. There should be a discrepancy. In some cases, it must be one polling station. A court might decide that if the two parties cannot agree and the data doesn’t tally, an election is organized for that polling station, so we can declare a winner. These things can be resolved easily."

He added that the NDC should begin the legal process early rather than try to incite its supporters to hit the streets and protest.

“That is why I regret that people have died for nothing. That will never resolve the results. We are still going to declare a winner for one person no matter what. And if the other person doesn’t agree, he has to challenge it in court."

"That is the only way you can say that you have been cheated and that the right thing has been done. No one can give it to you by word of mouth. It has to be done through a process. That is why I entreat that since he [Mahama] has the data, he should begin the process early so that we can correct the errors. That is what I encourage the parties to do rather than inciting people”, he concluded.