Supreme Court Overturns High Court Ruling on Election Results Collation for Four Constituencies

The Supreme Court of Ghana has overturned a decision by the High Court that had directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to collate and finalize the parliamentary election results for four constituencies from the December 2024 polls.

The affected constituencies are Okaikwei Central, Tema Central, Techiman South, and Ablekuma North.

In its ruling on Friday, December 27, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court unanimously held that the High Court had failed to provide a fair hearing to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidates for the constituencies before issuing its directive. The High Court had earlier ordered the EC to complete the collation process following legal applications (mandamus) filed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidates for these areas, who requested that the EC finalize the results.

The Supreme Court explained that the results for the four constituencies had already been collated and declared prior to the High Court’s order. As such, it deemed the High Court’s directive unfair, noting that proceeding with the order without hearing from the NDC candidates violated the principles of justice. Consequently, the Apex Court has called for a re-hearing of the case by a different judge, with the NDC candidates now given the opportunity to present their case. The re-hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 31.

It is important to note that the Supreme Court’s ruling does not impact the other two constituencies—Nsawam Adoagyir and Ahafo Ano North—where the collation process had not been completed when the High Court issued its original order.

This decision marks a significant development in the ongoing legal dispute over the results of the 2024 parliamentary elections and highlights the importance of due process and fair hearings in electoral disputes.