Mahama chases Madam EC with his 6 new demands in Supreme Court

John Mahama the former president has filed a motion at the Supreme Court making fresh demands of the Electoral Commission (EC) in his 2020 election petition hearing.

Mahama, who is the petitioner, wants the election management body to furnish him with all 275 original copies of constituency collation forms for the presidential election that took place on 7 December 2020.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate in Election 2020 is also making five other requests of the EC, including originals of the constituency presidential election results summary sheets and the regional presidential election results collation forms.

The full requests are:

1. The originals of the Constituency Presidential Election Results Collation Forms (Form 9) for all constituencies in Ghana;
   2. The originals of the Constituency Presidential Election Results Summary Sheets (Form 10) for all constituencies in Ghana;
   3. The originals of the Regional Presidential Election Results Collation Forms (Form 11) for all regions in Ghana;
   4. The originals of the Regional Presidential Election Results Summary Sheets (Form 12) for all regions in Ghana;
   5. The original of the Declaration of the Presidential Results Form (Form 13);
   6. The records of the alleged update to the purported declaration of presidential election results on 9 December 2020, of the results of four Constituencies in the Greater Accra Region.

Background

The presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress in the 2020 general election, John Dramani Mahama, officially filed a petition at the Supreme Court on 30 December 2020 to challenge the declared result of the 7 December presidential election.

A statement from the NDC after the filing said: “The National Democratic Congress wishes to inform the general public that at about 12 pm this afternoon [sic], the leader and presidential candidate of the party, H E John Dramani Mahama, caused his lawyers to file a petition in the Supreme Court of Ghana to challenge the 2020 presidential election results declaration by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana.”

It added: “The petition was filed pursuant to the party‘s audit of the 2020 presidential results and extensive consultations with the National Executive Committee and Council of Elders of the party.”

The NDC said the petition details grave violations of the 1992 constitution by the Electoral Commission and its chairperson/returning officer for the presidential election, Jean Adukwei Mensa, in carrying out their constitutional and legal responsibilities.

It seeks, among other things, a declaration from the Supreme Court to the effect that the purported declaration of the results of the 2020 presidential election on 9 December 2020 is unconstitutional, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.

On 9 December 2020, Jean Mensa declared President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the president-elect, announcing that he had secured 51.3% of the valid votes cast.

The result of the presidential election has since been gazetted. The NDC, however, says it cannot accept the result because it is “flawed”.