The Minority in Parliament has rejected a decision by a Tamale High Court to nullify the December 7 Parliamentary Election results of the Kpandai Constituency.
According to the Minority, the elections were conducted in a “transparent” and “accountable” manner and the results reflected the choice of the people.
On Monday, His Lordship Justice Emmanuel Brew-Plange declared the results null and void and ordered the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC), the 2nd respondent, to rerun the elections within 30 days of the ruling.
The case was filed by National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal.
However, a statement issued by the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, clarified that the elections were conducted in a transparent process.
“Hon. Mathew Nyindam won the parliamentary election with a margin of 3,734 votes,” the Effutu Member of Parliament (MP) stated.
“After the NDC secured the presidential results, the NDC parliamentary candidate, Hon. Daniel Nsala Wakpal, gathered a group of supporters who arrived at the collation centre in a Mahindra pickup wearing NDC T-shirts.
“They damaged some ballot boxes in an attempt to interrupt the collation, believing that the Electoral Commission would not have the pink sheets required to complete the declaration.
“The tension that followed created serious security risks.”
The Minority Leader further explained that the results were later declared at the EC’s regional office in Tamale with all the pink sheets already signed by the NDC polling agents but in the absence of the party’s Parliamentary Candidate.
“Hon. Wakpal later challenged the results in court. His case focused on his absence in Tamale and on clerical errors in 41 out of 152 polling stations.
“During the trial, the main witness for the NDC stated that the total votes in contention were about 500.
“Even if the court had awarded all 500 votes to the NDC candidate, he would still have lost by more than 3,000 votes.”
Mr Afenyo-Markin, therefore, expressed surprise that despite the “clear” position, the Tamale High Court nullified the results and ordered a rerun of the elections.
He said the Minority remains committed to the rule of law and believes the appeal filed by lawyers of the current MP “will restore confidence in the democratic outcome delivered by the voters of Kpandai”.