Defeated NDC Candidate for Essikado-Ketan files petition at High Court

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado-Ketan in the December 07, 2020 Parliamentary elections, Professor Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah has filed a petition at the Sekondi High Court to challenge the Parliamentary results announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana on December 09, 2020.

The petitioner is praying the High Court to ascertain from the First Respondent, Mr Joe Ghartey, who was the Parliamentary Candidate then, in the said elections and a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for Essikado-Ketan and the Second Respondent, the EC to explain the late introduction of strange ballot boxes at the Collation center in the night which compromised the pink sheets from the polling stations.

The petitioner further alleged that steps were taken by the Second Respondent to cover up the said illegal acts by altering polling station declared results, as well as tampering with Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs), used at some polling stations, while others could not be found or accounted for.

The petitioner is therefore demanding a full and accurate auditing of all relevant BVDs used in the said Parliamentary elections in the constituency.

The petitioner avers that further acts of infractions and illegality, noted were that per the Second Respondent's own pink sheets, the total number of valid votes declared were; NPP/ First Respondent-26,701, NDC/Petitioner-24,527, GUM-629 but the petitioner's analysis of pink sheets showed that First Respondent got 26,710, Petitioner got 24,554 and GUM 629.

However, the Petitioner said she was ready to prove at the trial that her "own collated results from the figures declared after counting at polling stations were that the First Respondent obtained 26,299 valid votes while the Petitioner scooped 26,336 valid votes making the petitioner the obvious winner but the Second Respondent declared otherwise".

According to the petitioner, the results were compromised and in a bid to cover up the illegal acts of the First and Second Respondents compromised some ballot boxes and alleged that some of them were taken from or passed through the residence of the First Respondent, with seals and covers broken, opened and conveyed in strange circumstances in a pick-up vehicle with heavily armed security guards to the constituency collation center.