The Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission to make collation sheets for Presidential elections available to parties and their agents after close of polls.
The petitioner who is former Director of Research at Parliament, Kwesi Nyame Tease-Eshun, sought to expose flaws in the new law that governs the 2016 general elections.
Under the CI 94, the EC is not obliged to provide copies of the collation sheet to political party agents. The petitioner, represented by Akoto Ampaw described this provision in the CI as an 'absurdity'.
Collation sheets
“It defies reason and constitutes an absurdity for [the EC] not to make provision for furnishing the candidates or their agents with copies thereof at the constituency collation centre,” the writ states.
CI 94 was meant to deal with flaws in the previous law (CI 74), as exposed in the 2013 election petition. But it appears even the new CI 94 is problematic.
Justice Atuguba who read the judgment of the Court on behalf of the seven-member panel directed that the EC confers with lawyers for the plaintiff to rectify the anomaly identified in the CI 94.
The legal teams are later to come to court with a resolution after which the Court will adopt the amendment as law.
Two regulations in the CI 94 is emphatic that no political party or presidential candidate is entitled to a copy of the 275 collation sheets.
The collation sheet is crucial evidence because it is the only proof that shows if the results declared by the EC match the results captured on the sheets.
National Collation Centre which shall receive the collated results from all 29,000 polling stations will under the law declare the winner of the presidential race and hand over the documents to the EC.
It means any candidate grieved by the results will effectively be unable to challenge the outcome because the aggrieved candidate may have no official evidence to make his case.
Even worse, the CI 94 makes no provision requiring the collation forms to be signed by either the Returning Officer or party agents, the petitioner complained.
The writ which was first filed on September 27 describes this failure as puzzling, arguing that the collation sheet is “strategic and critical” and it is “the endorsement of the signatures” that will validate the collation sheet “as an authentic record of the election.”
It will be recalled that the 2012 presidential elections was challenged by the NPP in 2013 on the basis that a list of unsigned collation sheets constituted an infraction of the law.
Counsel for petitioners confronted the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan with 371 unsigned sheets leading to his admission that they are infractions.
Source: myjoyonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
please npp,kindly ensure that the ballot papers for special voting is counted at the polling stations to avoid any addition during de transportation,that is yaanom's lost hope of rigging the election.
I smell change....
YES THE INCOMPETENT/TROMU TROMU JDM AND HIS CORRUPT/OCCULTIC NDC PARTY/EC SHALL SEE THEIR SMOOTHNESS LEVEL OHHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS YEARS ELECTION. AS FOR AMADU SULLY HIS DAYS ARE NUMBERED AT THE EC HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, HE SHALL BE KNIFED................................LOSERS....................
loopholes are significantly being closed, charlotte osei can't rig john mahama this time.
I AGREE WITH YOU ALL FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT DANGEROUS JOHN MAHAMA/NDC CHIEF EXECUTIONER - AMADU SULLEY. THIS WICKED,***barred word*** AND PATHOLOGICAL LIAR IS THE MASTER-MIND OF ALL BOGUS ELECTORAL RESULTS IN FAVOR OF THE NDC LONG BEFORE "MAAME ALATA" OSEI WAS USSHERED INTO THAT HOT SEAT. THIS SULLEY ***barred word*** CLEARLY TAUGHT THE NDC OPERATIVES HOW TO MANIPULATE THE HALF-BAKED DEFECTIVE BIOMETRIC VOTING MACHINES WITH THE CONNIVANCE AND BLESSING OF ANOTHER INSANE/BARBARIC AFARI-GYAN. THE NPP AND ALL FREEDOM LOVING/FAIR MINDED GHANAIANS SHOULD FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION ON EXPOSING THIS VERMIN AMADU SULLEY.....
KUDOS TO THE SUPREME COURT FOR GETTING THIS ONE RIGHT IN THE FACE OF MOUNTING EVIDENCE OF SLOPPY DECISIONS. THIS RULING WILL AT LEAST SOOTHE THE IMMEASURABLE PAINS OF COUNTLESS THINKING GHANAIANS FROM THE 2012 "CHICKEN" ELECTION PETITION VERDICT. MAHAMA AND HIS MANIPULATIVE NDC / EC "MAAME ALATA " OSEI SHOULD START PACKING THEIR BAGS TO VACATE ANY SEATS THEY OCCUPY NOW!!! RIGHT THINKING GHANAIANS ARE FREE AT LAST!!!
I tell you,this election strategy to steal for mahama is the handiwork of Amadu Sulley,I'm surprised Ghanaians are leaving that man out and going for alata Charlotte Osei. Amadu Sulley is more dangerous than Charlotte Osei and a green snake. He was the one who taught ndc how the biometric machines works and he is the director responsible for operations at the EC this man has shown to the world he is an ndc card bearing member and that he is there for the ndc and to see to it ndc win by fair or at all cost. Please every Ghanaian must direct their anger to Amadu Sulley the Chief ndc diabolical chemical Ali. Hold his neck tight for that man doesn't care whatever by working slowly and tactfully under cover. HE IS DANGEROUS.
IS IT TRUE THAT EC BOSS IS A NIGERIAN?. NANA KONADU AGYEMANG RAWLINGS ASKED THIS QUESTION, BUT GHANAIANS DID NOT PAY ATTENTION TO IT. THIS WOMAN WILL DESTROY GHANA AND RUN TO HER COUNTRY ONE DAY. FEAR EC BOSS,SHE IS MAHAMA LAST HOPE IN GHANA. ALL NDC BIG MEN WILL VOTE AGAINST MAHAMA.TO DISGRACE IN THIS GENERAL ELECTION. TO AVOID DISGRACE ES WANT MAHAMA TO GET SOMETHING CLOSE TO NANA ADDO. AT LEAST 40 PERCENT.
Our God Almighty will expose all their bad dealings and clear all obstacle to favour NPP.
Be careful Charlotte Osei is fake...bent on helping NDC rig the election