James Kofi Annan of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and independent candidate Louisa Buabeng have jointly filed an election petition challenging the results of the 2024 Parliamentary Election in the Effutu Constituency.
They claim numerous irregularities, including alleged misconduct by the police, the Electoral Commission (EC), and judicial officials, which they argue compromised the integrity of the election process.
The petitioners have accused the police of harassing Louisa Buabeng, the independent candidate, even before the election.
Buabeng was arrested on what they describe as “frivolous charges” and denied bail, leading her to seek judicial intervention from the High Court in Cape Coast.
They assert that this harassment extended to unwarranted searches of her property and multiple, baseless police interventions.
Also, their petition highlights judicial misconduct, specifically pointing out the actions of the Winneba District Court Magistrate, Josephine Abigail Fosuaa Appiah.
The two in a joint statement allege that the magistrate set excessively stringent bail conditions for Buabeng, including the requirement for a police officer surety within the same jurisdiction where the complainant was the Divisional Police Commander, suggesting an inherent conflict of interest.
The core of their legal challenge, however, revolves around alleged electoral misconduct.
They claim that the EC in Effutu did not provide necessary information and documents to Buabeng, which they argue hindered her participation in the electoral process.
They also allege mysterious instances where unknown individuals purportedly represented Buabeng at polling stations without her consent or knowledge.
Post-election, the petitioners allege further obstructions in the legal process aimed at challenging the results.
They state that the Registrar of the Winneba High Court deliberately failed to serve legal processes to enable the court to hear their petition.
This included reversing decisions on service locations from local EC offices to the head office in Accra, which they claim was a tactic to delay proceedings.
James Kofi Annan and Louisa Buabeng have publicly questioned the integrity of the electoral outcome, asking why there would be apparent efforts to frustrate judicial review if the election was “truly and fairly” won by Minority Leader Alexander and New Patriotic Party candidate, Afenyo-Markin.
They accuse unnamed individuals or groups of manipulating state institutions to skew the electoral process, thereby undermining democratic principles.
The statement issued by the candidates’ communication team calls for intervention by the Chief Justice and the EC Chairperson to investigate these allegations, protect the sanctity of democratic processes, and sanction any officials found complicit in undermining the election’s credibility.
As of now, there has been no public response from Afenyo-Markin or the EC regarding these allegations.
Read the joint statement by James Kofi Annan and Loise Buabeng below:
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