The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has strongly criticized the Electoral Commission’s decision to conduct fresh elections at the Abokobi Women Development Training Centre polling station in the Dome Kwabenya constituency.
The PPP contended that this action is an attempt to alter the election outcome in favor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, who clearly lost to the NDC candidate.
The Electoral Commission’s justification for the re-run is based on the use of a training form instead of the original pink sheet to declare the results at the polling station.
“The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has taken notice of the Electoral Commission’s decision to run fresh elections at the Abokobi Women Development Training Centre polling station within the Dome Kwabenya constituency.
“We call on the EC to desist from such acts as they are unlawful and amounts to an unfair machination to twist the hands of the voters who have already taken time out of their busy schedules to make their choices known on December 7th 2024”.
Progressive People’s Party (PPP)
In a statement released on December 30, 2024, and signed by Nana Ofori Owusu, National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the party criticized the Electoral Commission’s decision to order a re-run of the election in Dome-Kwabenya.
The PPP described the EC’s reasoning as shallow and insufficient, emphasizing that it focused more on procedural form than the substantive issues at hand.
The party also noted that the EC’s actions lack the regulatory backing of C.I. 127, which governs electoral conduct, and urged the Commission to adhere to these regulations.
The PPP also argued that the EC’s decision is not supported by existing case law. The party emphasized that there is no legal precedent to justify the re-run under the circumstances, further questioning the Commission’s actions.
This lack of legal foundation, according to the PPP, further weakens the credibility of the EC’s decision and raises doubts about its validity.
Legal Precedent Challenges EC’s Call for Re-run
The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) also reminded the Electoral Commission of the majority decision in the “Nana Akufo-Addo v. Electoral Commission” 2012 Election Petition case.
According to the party, the majority of the Supreme Court Justices, led by Justice William Atuguba, ruled that violations of electoral procedures cannot be grounds to invalidate an election result in that case.
The PPP referenced this precedent to argue that the EC’s decision to call for a re-run based on procedural errors is both legally and procedurally unjustifiable.
“The Supreme Court upheld the sanctity of the votes cast and the validity of the results obtained. No administrative errors or non-compliance with administrative rules could affect the validity of the votes validly cast by the electorate.
“To the extent that the EC is not disputing the figures but rather dwelling on the wrong form used, we believe the EC is just wasting resources in an attempt to re-run the elections in that polling station”.
Progressive People’s Party (PPP)
The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) further criticized the Electoral Commission’s decision, pointing out that the re-run is unnecessary and an abuse of the electoral process.
The party emphasized that the voters for the fresh election will not be the same, and the issues at hand will differ.
According to the party, since the re-run will not apply to the entire constituency, the party argued that such a measure is unjustifiable and disrupts the integrity of the electoral system.
The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) also called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to defend its electoral victory by seeking an injunction against the proposed re-run when necessary.
The party emphasized the importance of upholding the legitimacy of the results and standing firm against any moves that could undermine the electoral process.
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