Ebi Bright Drags NPP’s Charles Forson To Supreme Court Over Tema Central Parliamentary Victory

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Tema Central in the 2020 elections, Ebi Bright has lodged a legal challenge at the Supreme Court against the election of Charles Forson, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator for the constituency.

Ebi Bright is contesting the validity of Mr Forson’s win, alleging irregularities in the 2024 elections.

In her petition, Madam Bright asserts that Mr Forson was wrongfully declared as the winner by the Electoral Commission.

She is challenging the EC’s final tally and is seeking a court order to deem the declaration null and void or mandate a re-run of the election in the constituency.

The court is expected to hear the case in the coming weeks, as both parties prepare to present their arguments.

She further alleged that some NPP polling agents interfered in the collation process at the Chemu SHS collation center, a move Ebi Bright claims compromised the transparency of the final results and affected the fairness of the election outcome.

The petition asserts that the declaration of Charles Forson as the MP-elect was made under questionable circumstances, allegedly breaching constitutional provisions and electoral regulations.

Ebi Bright’s legal team has urged the Supreme Court to determine the validity of the results and ensure justice for the electorate in Tema Central.

The petition also mandates all respondents to file their defense within eight days of receiving the notice to facilitate the upcoming legal proceedings.

 

Background

On Saturday, January 4, an Accra High Court directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to complete the collation of results from two outstanding polling stations for the Tema Central constituency. This directive followed mandamus applications filed by New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidates in affected constituencies, compelling the EC to fulfil its statutory obligations.

Presiding over the cases, Justice Forson Agyapong explained the legal basis for mandamus applications, citing jurisdictional lapses, legal errors, and breaches of natural justice as valid grounds. He emphasized that the EC has a public duty to execute its responsibilities impartially and in accordance with the law.

 

In the case of Tema Central, the court found that the EC had failed to fulfil its duty by excluding the results from two polling stations. Justice Agyapong clarified that only the returning officer’s declaration is legally valid and directed the EC to complete the collation process at its Accra Regional Office.

Following the court-ordered collation, Charles Forson of the NPP was confirmed as the winner of the parliamentary race. Forson secured 18,870 votes, narrowly defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Ebi Bright, who garnered 18,815 votes. An independent candidate, Frederick Aniagyei, received 209 votes.

The total valid votes cast amounted to 37,894, with 144 rejected ballots, bringing the overall total votes to 38,038.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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