Incumbent Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has announced his intention to contest the outcome of the parliamentary election in court.
This comes after the Electoral Commission (EC) declared Abdulai Abu Baba Abubakar Sadiq of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the winner of the fiercely contested seat. The announcement was made on Monday, December 9, nearly 48 hours after the polls closed.
Baba Sadiq secured 15,383 votes, narrowly defeating Patrick Boamah, who garnered 14,949 votes.
Addressing the media shortly after the EC’s declaration, Boamah expressed dissatisfaction with the results and confirmed his plans to seek legal redress.
Boamah further suggested that anomalies in the collation process and issues surrounding some polling station results warranted a closer examination of the declared outcome. While he refrained from providing specifics, he maintained his confidence in the judiciary to adjudicate the matter fairly.
The Okaikwei Central constituency race was one of the most hotly contested in the 2024 general elections, with tensions high during the collation process. Allegations of discrepancies and disputes over pink sheets delayed the declaration, which eventually favoured the NDC candidate.
“I know I have won the election. So if I have won the election, I don’t have to use violent means to take my seat. I have to respect due process. And that is what we are going to follow. So we came to discuss with the lawyers, and we are putting our documents together.
“Once the Gazette is made and the time limit for filing the petition is due, we will take the right steps. We are going to the High Court.”