Why Ghana electoral commission dey reject nine parliamentary results from di 7 December polls

Di electoral commission for Ghana say dem dey reject nine constituency results for di 7 December election wey just end.

Oga of di commission say five of di parliamentary results wia dem declare na "illegal", wia four odas dey incomplete.

For one press conference, Jean Mensa say "di results wey our officials declare for places like Okaikwei central, Ablekuma north, Tema central, Dome-kwabenya get wahala sake of political party pipo don threaten our staff wia dem declare dis results."

"For some places, our returning officers bin face threat at gun-point wia dem declare di results wia no dey reflect for di collation documents," di electoral commission boss tok.

For some oda constituencies, "political party supporters bin attack our officers, burn ballot boxes and sometimes destroy our computers wia don dey collate di results."

For di Okaikwei constituency, di EC officer bin declare di winner without results of 31 polling stations wia di Ablekuma north winner bin dey declared without results of 62 polling stations, according to di electoral commission boss.

"For Tema central, di electoral officer bin declare di winner afta di party supporters and executives don threaten am well well, so im use 146 out of 148 polling station results to declare di winner."

Oga Jean Mensa tok say "sake of dis kind violence and burning of our offices for some regions, di commission no fit recognise di declaration of di results for Ahafo Ano southwest, Ahafo Ano north and Nsawam adoagyiri, odawise e go create bad precedent for future elections."

Post-election violence

Since di 7 December poll, confusion dey happun for some areas, party supporters bin burn down di EC office for at least three places - Damongo for di savannah region and ayensuano for di eastern region.

For Accra, fire don destroy one school wia bin dey store ballot papers and oda election materials for di Ablekuma north constituency.

Police don arrest at least 20 pipo wey dem suspect say dem dey involve for di burning of di electoral commission office for Damongo and Ayensuoano.

Some oda party supporters for oda places also destroy ballot boxes and pink sheets during di collation of results.

One democracy and research think tank - Ghana center for democratic development (CDD) don compile di sakala wey happun for dis election.

In 2020, 8 pipo bin die for di kontris elections - for dis year, 6 pipo don die, according to CDD report.

"We don record total of 76 separate incidents across di kontri for dis election; 6 pipo don die, 46 odas don hurt," di report tok.

Di report also reveal "24 cases wia pipo don destroy electoral materials, odas don seize goment properties wia some odas bin invade di house of some public officers."

Wetin di law tok about parliamentary results

Sabi pipo and some political parties bin dey bash di electoral commission say dem no get di right to annul results wia dia own officers don declare.

Di kontris public elections regulations 2020, CI 127 wey bin dey guide elections no dey provide for wetin di EC dey describe as re-collation for parliamentary elections.

In fact, for di 2020 elections di electoral commission bin tok di opposition party say make dem carry di disputed techiman south parliamentary election go court afta di commission don declare di winner.

Oga for di commission tok di NDC say "afta we declare winner for di election di only way pesin fit challenge am na to carry di mata go di high court."

"We fit do Re-collation for all levels if di parties bin request am bifor we go declare di winner. But afta dem declare results and winner, pesin wey still get wahala wit di results no fit to ask for re-collation or ask say make dem count di results again,"Director of elections Dr Omane Boamah don post wetin di EC don tok di party for 2020.

According to di opposition national democratic congress (NDC) wia bin win di 7 December elections, wetin di EC don dey do wit di wetin dem call outstanding constituencies, na illegal.

Dr Omane Boamah bin write for Facebook say "make dis EC boss no tempt us beyond our endurance. We mean business."

"Di EC wan reduce our 2/3 majority seats wia we don win for dis election. For all di constituencies wia di electoral commission no declare results, dem sabi get all dia pink sheets wey show say di NDC bin win."

Im add say "instead say di EC go gree wit us and call emergency inter-party advisory committee meeting ova dis mata, she don dey swerve."

Meanwhile di ruling new patriotic party wia don lose di presidential election also insist say dem win all di disputed 12 seats.

For one press conference, former chairman of di NPP tok say make di electoral commission resume di collation of di results for dis places.

"We don dey ask di election security task force say make dem provide security for di electoral commission make dem continue di collation for dis places and declare di results."

"We dey very sure say our parliamentary candidates for dis outstanding constituencies bin win dia seats from data wia we fit to verify from di pink sheets."

But di opposition NDC say make di ruling NPP carry di mata go court instead say dem dey put pressure on top di EC to re-collate results wia dem already declare.

Wetin go happun

So far di opposition NDC bin win at least 184 parliamentary seats wia di ruling party NPP bin get at least 77 seats wia 4 independent candidates also win seats.

Di NDC already enta court for injunction wey go stop di electoral commission to continue di recollation of results for at least one constituency - Nsawam adoagyiri until further notice.

But as tins stand, di electoral commission say dem go still do di recollation of di results for di 9 constituencies.

Oga of di commission Jean Mensa tok say im want di outgoing president and di president-elect to chook mouth for dis mata to allow make dem do di recollation without violence of di party supporters.

"Di oda times we try to continue di recollation for our Accra regional office and di police depot, di party supporters wey storm di places disrupt di process wia police tok us say dem no fit guarantee our security di way tins dey go."

"So we don dey beg di president Nana Akufo-Addo and incoming president John Mahama say make dem ensure say we go get proper security to recollate and declare di outstanding results," EC commissioner tok.

Civil society organisations and oda sabi groups bin tok di parties say make dem carry di mata go court to file petition against di declaration.

Di public elections regulation provide say di electoral commission gat to publish di results of di presidential and parliamentary elections inside di gazette.

Di NDC candidate John Mahama bin win di poll with 56.55% wia di ruling NPP lose with 41.8% from 270/276 constituency results wia di EC declare.

Parliament go swear-in di new parliamentarians on midnight of 6 January 2025, wia di NDC say dem go present all diawinners for dia party dat day.