The Supreme Court will on Friday, December 27, 2024, hear motions filed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) challenging the Electoral Commission’s (EC) handling of disputed parliamentary election results in six constituencies.
The NDC is invoking the court’s Supervisory Jurisdiction to quash a High Court order compelling the EC to collate and declare results from the contested constituencies. The party has also requested an order prohibiting the EC from further collation, recounting, or declaration of results in these areas, claiming the process is unlawful.
In its application, the NDC is seeking:
- An Order of Certiorari: To quash the High Court’s December 20, 2024, order, which directed the EC to proceed with the collation and declaration of the results.
- An Order of Prohibition: To prevent the EC from conducting further collation, recounting, or declaration in the disputed constituencies and restrain the 8th interested from providing security for the unlawful exercise of collation, …and declaration of the elections.
- An Interlocutory Injunction: The application is also asking the Apex Court for “an Order of interlocutory Injunction restraining the interested party from collating or recollating, counting or recounting and declarating the election results in the contentious constituencies and the 8th interested party (IGP) from providing security for the unlawful exercise of collation, counting and declaration of the elections pending the determination of the instant suit.”
The NDC’s grounds for the suit include allegations of breach of its right to be heard, claims of bias and partiality by the presiding judge, and accusations that the High Court committed a non-jurisdictional error of law by failing to ensure all parties were properly served.
The dispute escalated after the High Court granted a mandamus application from six New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidates, compelling the EC to collate and declare results in the contentious constituencies.
Hours later, on December 20, the NDC filed its motion at the Supreme Court.
Although the EC declared seven out of the nine disputed results by December 21, the Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing of the NDC’s applications for Friday, December 27.
