Dr. Bossman Eric Asare
The Electoral Commission (EC), says it has the legal mandate to re-collate all Parliamentary results of constituencies that failed to adhere to the required processes before declarations were announced.
Deputy chair of the EC in charge of corporate Services, Bossman Eric Asare who made this known at a press briefing at its headquarters in Accra said the Commission as part of its supervisory role is required to ensure due processes are followed before a Parliamentary candidate is delared winner in election.
He therefore described claims by some political parties that the EC is engaging in illegality by re-collating incomplete Parliamentary results from polling stations because it is not stated in CI 127 as false.
“We wish to state that this is false.
It is important to note that the Commission cannot uphold an illegality. What happened at the collation centres where the collations were done without all the polling station results and where people were held to the gun and knives cannot be legal and the Commission will not uphold this”.
“Declarations that we do not re-collate are those that follow due process.The current ones are an illegality and they cannot be upheld by the Commission” he added.
The following are the 7 constituencies where EC conducted re-collation following a High Court order and winners declared so far.
Obuasi East constituency, Patrick Boakye Yiadom of the NPP, retained the seat with 18, 556 votes beaten Samuel Aboagye of the NDC who also had 18, 539 votes.
Nsawam- Adoagyiri constitiency, Frank Annor -Dompre, NPP, obtained 29,640 while the NDC candidates obtained 29, 433 votes.
Ahafo Ano North, Nana Agyemang Prempeh of the NPP ganered 20, 353 while Kwasi Adusei of the NDC had 20, 232; In Okaikwei Central Constituency, Patrick Yaw Boamah, NPP; 29,099 while the NDC candidate, Baba Sadiq also had 19, 368 votes.
Ahafo Ano South West, Elvis Osei Dapaah, of the NPP obtained, 16, 058 while Abubakar Sadiq of the NDC had 15, 372 votes.
In the Tema Central Constituency, Charles Forson of the NPP polled 18,870
while Ebi Bright of the NDC obtained 18, 815 votes.
The rest are Tachiman South Constituency where the incumbent, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah polled 46, 663 to win while Christopher Beyere of the NDC obtained 43, 429 votes.
Dr. Asare further cited examples of areas where the Commission has recollated results following disruptions of the collation and declarations in the past under a former chair of the EC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan.
He said the EC in 2004, re-collated Parliamentary election results for Zabzugu-Tatale where a mob attacked the collation centre and destroyed the statement of poll and declaration sheet.
He also mentioned Tolon, Yapei Kusawgu, and pru constituences where re-collation was held due to irregularities with the original collation.
According to the Deputy chair of the EC, on Tuesday December 21, 2004, the Commission overturned the constituency Parliamentary results in favour of the candidate for the National Democratic Congress, as the Member of Parliament-elect for the Pru constituency after the re-collation.
He also cited an example district-level Assembly election where re-collation was conducted at Edina in the Central Region under the leadership of Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.
He said re-collation exercise conducted by the EC in areas where due processes were not followed during collation in the December 7, Parliamentary election was therefore not a new phenomenon that has never been done in the electoral history of the country.
He said the Commission has been able to recollate 10 out of 12 outstanding constituencies and hopeful that it will complete the remaining two constituencies- Ablekuma North and Dome Kwabenya soon before the 9th Parliament begins.
He further indicated that the Commission is not responsible for making anybody a President or member of Parliament and therefore urged Ghanaians to support it to carry out its constitutional mandate as expected.
“Article 46 of the 1992 Republican Constitution states that except as provided in this constitution, or in any other law not inconsistent with this constitution, in the performance of its functions, the Electoral Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority”. he stated.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah