The controversy surrounding the completion of parliamentary results for the Tema Central constituency has taken a new turn, with Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Etse Dafeamekpor, raising objections to an Accra High Court’s directive. The court ordered the Electoral Commission (EC) to include results from two outstanding polling stations in the final collation of results for the constituency.
On Saturday, 4th December, the court, presided over by Justice Forson Agyapong, granted a mandamus application filed by New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidates. The ruling instructed the completion of results for four disputed constituencies—Tema Central, Okaikwei Central, Ablekuma North, and Techiman South—by 6th January 2025.
Justice Agyapong nullified the previously declared results for Tema Central, which had initially favored the NDC’s Ebi Bright. The court cited the need to collate results from all 148 polling stations in order to make a final declaration.
However, Dafeamekpor, who also serves as Ebi Bright’s lawyer, expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling during a media briefing after the court hearing. He alleged that the disputed pink sheets from the two outstanding polling stations were fabricated by the EC’s presiding officers.
“We opposed those two pink sheets on grounds that they were fabricated after the close of polls on 7th December at 5pm. We invited the presiding officers in respect of those two polling stations. They admitted that when the polls closed, they were tired and exhausted. So they brought the pink sheets to the EC office, where they were instructed by their EC Metro Director to complete them,”
Dafeamekpor further argued that the duplicates of the pink sheets lacked essential information required by regulations. He stated,
“The duplicates we have do not include the presiding officer’s name, signature, the year of the election, the time of close of polls, or the date of the election. These are required under Regulation 43 of C.I. 127 and Regulation 39(23) of C.I. 127.”
The lawmaker emphasized that including the results from the disputed polling stations in the collation process could pose credibility issues, given the ongoing dispute over the authenticity of the pink sheets. The situation has raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the need for a fair and transparent resolution.
