Failure to Follow Procedure Will Cause Your Election Petition to Be Rejected – CJ Says Ahead of Elections

Ghana’s Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, has issued a clear warning to all political parties and independent presidential candidates ahead of the next general elections.

He called on all political parties to carefully follow established protocols when submitting applications to the court, warning that non-compliance could lead to disastrous consequences for affected persons or political parties.

According to Judge Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, all parties who do not comply with the procedures will have their cases dismissed.

The Chief Justice stated in a post on the verified Facebook page of Accra-based Joy News that the directive would apply to the election petition.

The Supreme Court of Ghana has the power to decide the outcome of the presidential election under the 1992 Constitution if a party is dissatisfied with the declaration made by the Electoral Commission (EC), the country’s election administration body.

There were two cases involving election petitions in the Fourth Republic. In 2012, the then NPP standard-bearer, Nana Akufo Addo, filed the first election petition case, asking the Supreme Court to throw out John Dramani Mahama’s declaration of election victory.

Eight years later, former president John Dramani Mahama petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 general election results that declared President Nana Akufo Addo the winner.

As Ghana prepares for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, both the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party have vowed to garner votes at the polls.