According to MyJoyOnline, the legal battle over the declaration of Ebi Bright as the winner of the Tema Central parliamentary election continues to unfold, with both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presenting their cases in court on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

The case, which hinges on allegations of irregularities and incomplete collation of results, saw spirited arguments from both legal teams. Counsel for the NDC, Godwin Tameklo, asserted that the declaration of Ebi Bright as the winner was both valid and lawful. He argued that even the NPP’s affidavit acknowledged that a declaration was made, despite claims that results from two polling stations were excluded.

Tameklo referred to a letter written by one of the NPP applicants, Charles Forson, urging the Electoral Commission (EC) to instruct the returning officer to properly collate and declare results. He emphasized that the court’s role is not to determine the winner of an election but to assess whether proper legal processes were followed.

“It is not the duty of this court to make a determination on who won an election. They are inviting the court onto a slippery slope,” Tameklo said. He further argued that once results have been declared, dissatisfied parties cannot demand re-collation, questioning the EC’s suggestion that results could be revisited after a formal declaration.

In contrast, NPP counsel Gary Nimako Marfo maintained that the collation process was incomplete due to alleged acts of intimidation and irregularities. Marfo presented a video in court purportedly showing an unauthorized individual declaring the election results. According to Marfo, the man in the video was not the official returning officer, Mr. Kwesi Brobbey.

The video also featured NDC Deputy National Communications Officer Malik Basintale stating, “Our issue is not with the police, our issue is with the EC Officer. We will bring him out to declare Ebi Bright, whether he likes it or not. If the NPP does not like it, they can go to court.”

Marfo argued that such incidents undermine electoral integrity and set a dangerous precedent. “If this issue is not properly addressed, it could open the door for unauthorized individuals to manipulate election outcomes at collation centers,” he warned.

On its part, the Electoral Commission, represented by counsel Justin Amenuvor, called on the court to issue clear directives to allow the EC to complete the collation process in accordance with Constitutional Instrument (C.I 127).

Amenuvor stressed the importance of adhering strictly to electoral guidelines, warning of the potential consequences if the court failed to intervene. “If this court does not grant the necessary orders for the EC to finalize the collation process under the conditions outlined by law, it will set a troubling precedent for our democracy,” he said.