The Supreme Court has granted by a 6 - 3 majority decision the joinder motion brought by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) seeking to be joined to the election petition filed by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The nine-member panel last week heard arguments from NDC lead counsel Tsatsu Tsikata, who insisted that the governing party offered President John Mahama the platform to contest for the presidency and was thus an interested party whose interests would be injured if it were not allowed to join the petition as a respondent. Counsel for the petitioners - Nana Akufo-Addo (presidential candidate of the NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (running mate to Akufo-Addo) and NPP Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey - who are challenging the declaration of NDC candidate John Mahama as winner of the December elections, opposed the motion. NPP lead counsel Phillip Addison told the court the NDC had no legal basis to be seeking to join the petition, but the NDC's argument prevailed. The Supreme Court, presided over by Justice William Atuguba, granted the application, thus agreeing with Mr. Tsikata. This ruling paves the way for the substantive matter, the petitioners' allegations of electoral fraud in last year's polls, to be heard.