NDC parliamentary candidate for Tema Central, Ebi Bright has filed a petition at the High Court challenging the election of Charles Forson as a Member of Parliament.
She claims that the results upon which Charles Forson was declared as the winner of the election are not a true reflection of the polls.
According to the petition, the results included three polling station results fraught with irregularities.
Ebi Bright alleges that the original pink sheets for the three polling stations in the custody of the Electoral Commission had the names and signatures of the presiding officers while the duplicates given to the NDC did not have the same.
She alleges further that the total number of votes obtained by the candidates on the three original pink sheets does not tally with the total valid votes or total votes.
On the basis of these, she wants the court to invalidate the results from the three polling stations and overturn the declaration of Charles Forson as a Member of Parliament.
She, however, wants the court to refer to earlier results that excluded the three disputed polling stations which saw her being declared as a member of parliament.
In the alternative, she wants the court to order a re-run in the three polling stations.
On Saturday, January 4, an Accra High Court directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to complete the collation of results from two outstanding polling stations for the Tema Central constituency. This directive followed mandamus applications filed by New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidates in affected constituencies, compelling the EC to fulfil its statutory obligations.
Presiding over the cases, Justice Forson Agyapong explained the legal basis for mandamus applications, citing jurisdictional lapses, legal errors, and breaches of natural justice as valid grounds. He emphasized that the EC has a public duty to execute its responsibilities impartially and in accordance with the law.
In the case of Tema Central, the court found that the EC had failed to fulfil its duty by excluding the results from two polling stations. Justice Agyapong clarified that only the returning officer’s declaration is legally valid and directed the EC to complete the collation process at its Accra Regional Office.
Following the court-ordered collation, Charles Forson of the NPP was confirmed as the winner of the parliamentary race. Forson secured 18,870 votes, narrowly defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Ebi Bright, who garnered 18,815 votes. An independent candidate, Frederick Aniagyei, received 209 votes.
The total valid votes cast amounted to 37,894, with 144 rejected ballots, bringing the overall total votes to 38,038.
