The 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Effutu in the Central region, James Kofi Annan, and Independent Candidate, Louisa Buabeng, have petitioned the Winneba High Court to annul the 2024 parliamentary election results.

They cite irregularities and bias on the part of the Electoral Commission (EC) as key reasons for their defeat in the recently concluded parliamentary polls.

Both candidates lost the election to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Alexander Afenyo-Markin but are challenging the legitimacy of the results, arguing that the polls were unfairly conducted.

The first petitioner, James Kofi Annan, is requesting the court to annul the results from 96 polling stations, claiming that the signatures on the pink sheets are not those of his officially assigned polling agents.

The second petitioner, Louisa Buabeng, is seeking the annulment of the entire parliamentary election results, alleging that the Electoral Commission denied her access to crucial election-related information.

Jennifred Maurice Adjei, legal counsel for the petitioners, outlined the challenges faced in serving court processes, alleging interference from court officials.

“In court today, we were supposed to move a motion for an interlocutory injunction against Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin. The process was filed on January 6, but we encountered challenges with service. The registrar himself initially provided a bailiff, but later, the bailiff was called back and instructed to return the processes under threat of punishment. Due to fear, the bailiff complied, delaying the service,” he stated.

Concerns Over Electoral Commission’s Conduct

The petitioners’ counsel further noted that the Electoral Commission had not been properly served due to its offices being closed during the holiday break.

“The Electoral Commission, which is an institution, should have been the easiest to serve, yet the bailiff failed to complete service. He insisted on serving at the Accra head office rather than the district office in Winneba, causing further delays. Despite financing the bailiff to complete the process, no service was carried out,” he added.

Given the difficulties faced in serving the necessary court processes, Mr Adjei has called for the case to be transferred to a different High Court outside Winneba.

According to him, the registrar appears to be manipulating the system.