PPP calls on EC to respect C.I. 127  

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for its recent re-collation and declaration exercise involving nine disputed constituencies, describing the process as illegal.  

In a statement signed by the party’s National Chairman, Nana Ofori Owusu, the PPP accused the Commission of violating its own rules as outlined in Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) 127, which governs Ghana’s electoral processes.  

“Our laws are very clear on what a dissatisfied candidate should do if he/she disagrees with a declared election result. The pathway is for that person to go to the High Court for  redress,” the statement asserted.  

The PPP emphasised that C.I. 127 contains no provisions for “re-collation” or any clause empowering the EC to overturn results already declared by returning officers. “We take notice of the independence of the Electoral Commission, but also wish to remind the Electoral Commission that it has to respect its own structures and the laws that it operates with,” the statement added.  

Illegal re-collation exercise  

The PPP noted that it had carefully reviewed C.I. 127, which contains detailed regulations for the 2024 elections. “Nowhere in C.I. 127 is the word ‘re-collation’ mentioned, neither is there any provision giving the EC the power to do what it did on Saturday, December 21, 2024, after the designated returning officers have declared elections in those constituencies,” the statement read.  

The party reiterated its call for the EC to cease interfering in already declared constituency results and to allow aggrieved candidates to seek redress through the appropriate legal channels.  

Worrying development  

The PPP expressed concern over the EC’s actions and urged the Commission to respect the earlier declared results in four out of the nine disputed constituencies: Obuasi East, Tema Central, Okaikwei Central and Ablekuma North, where the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had initially been declared the winner.  

However, during the re-collation exercise held on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at the EC Greater Accra Regional Office, the Commission overturned the results for Tema Central, Okaikwei Central, and Obuasi East in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The exercise for Ablekuma North was suspended due to the absence of some pink sheets.  

Court-ordered re-collation
 
The re-collation and declaration exercise followed an order by the Accra High Court after the affected NPP parliamentary candidates filed an application. By the close of proceedings on Saturday, seven out of the nine disputed constituencies had been declared in favour of the NPP. These constituencies are Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Ahafo Ano North, Ahafo Ano South West, Techiman South, Tema Central, Okaikwei Central and Obuasi East.  

The process was suspended for Ablekuma North and Dome-Kwabenya due to the unavailability of pink sheets required for re-collation and the declaration of winners. The EC stated that the issues concerning these two constituencies had been referred to the Commission’s management for further decision-making.  

The PPP’s statement concluded with a call on the EC to uphold the law and restore public confidence in Ghana’s electoral process.