The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado-Ketan in the 2020 elections, Professor Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah has filed a petition at the Sekondi High Court to challenge the Parliamentary results announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) December 09, 2020.

The petitioner is praying the High Court to ascertain from the First Respondent, Mr Joe Ghartey, who was the Parliamentary Candidate then, in the said elections and a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for Essikado-Ketan, the second respondent, the EC, to explain the late introduction of strange ballot boxes which included pink sheets that were present at the Collation Centre in the night.

The petitioner further alleged that steps were taken by the Second Respondent to cover up the said illegal acts by altering polling station declared results, as well as tampering with Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs), used at some polling stations, while others could not be found or accounted for.

The petitioner is therefore demanding full and accurate auditing of all relevant BVDs used in the said Parliamentary elections in the constituency.
The petitioner avers that further acts of infractions and illegality noted were that per the Second Respondent's own pink sheets, the total number of valid votes declared were; NPP/ First Respondent-26,701, NDC/Petitioner-24,527, GUM-629 but the petitioner's analysis of pink sheets showed that First Respondent got 26,710, petitioner got 24,554 and GUM 629.

However, the petitioner said she was ready to prove at the trial that her "own collated results from the figures declared after counting at polling stations were that the First Respondent obtained 26,299 valid votes while she scooped 26,336 valid votes making the petitioner the obvious winner but the Second Respondent declared otherwise".

According to her, the results were compromised and in a bid to cover up the illegal acts of the First and Second Respondents compromised some ballot boxes and alleged that some of them were taken from or passed through the residence of the First Respondent.

She added that the ballot boxes had broken covers, opened and conveyed by a pick-up vehicle with heavily armed security guards to the constituency's collation centre.