The High Court in Accra has directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to finalize the collation of results in Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, and Techiman South by January 6, 2025.This directive was issued after the court upheld mandamus applications filed by New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidates from the affected constituencies.

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The court further ordered the Inspector General of Police to deploy armed security personnel to maintain order during the collation process.Presiding over the case, Justice Forson Agyapong elaborated on the conditions for granting a mandamus application. He highlighted that the applicant must prove jurisdictional error, legal error on the face of proceedings, failure to follow natural justice principles, or a breach of Wednesbury principles.

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Additionally, it must be demonstrated that a public duty exists, a demand for its execution was made, and that significant prejudice occurred due to non-compliance.In Tema Central, Justice Agyapong noted the EC's failure to collate results from two outstanding polling stations, declaring that results announced by any party other than the designated returning officer were invalid.

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Regarding Ablekuma North, the court found the EC’s collation incomplete, as results from only 219 out of 281 polling stations were considered, leaving 62 uncollated.Similarly, in Okaikwei Central, the EC was faulted for announcing results based on 110 out of 141 polling stations, falling short of complete collation.

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In Techiman South, results were declared using data from just 135 out of 282 polling stations, prompting the court to emphasize the need for full collation before making official announcements.The ruling compels the EC to fulfill its constitutional obligation by ensuring comprehensive collation of all polling station results before declaring final outcomes in the four constituencies.

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