South Dayi MP Criticizes EC’s Re-Collation of Parliamentary Results as Legal Overreach

The Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to re-collate parliamentary election results in nine disputed constituencies has come under sharp criticism from South Dayi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.

Dafeamekpor has condemned the move as a breach of Ghana’s electoral regulations, claiming that the EC is overstepping its legal authority. During an interview, he emphasized that the only legal grounds for reconsidering election outcomes are outlined in Regulation 42 of CI 127, which applies when there is parity of results.

“For example, if I contested against my brother in a constituency and both of us obtained 10 votes each, then the EC is mandated to conduct a rerun,” Dafeamekpor explained, underscoring that this is the sole legal window for the EC to reconsider election results.

His remarks came in response to a media briefing on Thursday, December 19, where EC Chairperson Jean Mensa announced the decision to conduct a re-collation of results in the nine constituencies due to disputes during the original collation process. Mensa called for enhanced security from President Nana Akufo-Addo to facilitate the exercise, aiming to ensure transparency and fairness.

However, Dafeamekpor remains unconvinced, arguing that the re-collation process could set a dangerous precedent for electoral malpractice. “This decision undermines the sanctity of Ghana’s electoral laws. The EC’s role is to ensure the proper conduct of elections and declare results—not to retroactively engage in revisions outside the legal framework,” he stated.