Bolgatanga High Court orders re-check of Bawku election results
Bolgatanga (Upper East) 08 Jan. 2001
A Bolgatanga High Court on Saturday ordered a re-check of results sheets of 147 polling stations in the December 7 parliamentary election.
The court, presided by Mr. Justice Gilbert Mensah Quaye, further ordered the re-collation and/or re-count of the ballots at the regional office of the Electoral Commission at Bolgatanga.
The ruling followed a suit filed by Hajia Fati Seidu, incumbent NDC Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, asking the court to order the Electoral Commission (EC) to recount all the ballot papers in the 147 boxes in the constituency.
The EC declared Madam Hawa Yakubu, NPP parliamentary candidate, winner of the December 7 election held in the constituency.
The court asked that both the NDC and NPP present two agents each, and representatives of the Attorney General and EC as the only lawful persons who must be present as observers.
He warned that any person found loitering near the premises of the Electoral commission during the collation exercise would be charged for contempt of the court.
The parties involved are to exchange affidavits and present to the court their results in 48 hours for determination and confirmation of the true winner of the Bawku Central parliamentary seat.
Parties involved would go ahead with a manual recount of votes in the 147 ballot boxes, should there arise discrepancies or disputes over the total results collated earlier by the EC.
Hawa was declared the winner of the Bawku Central seat by 22,335 votes whiles Hajia Fati got 21,461 votes.
Hearing continues on Tuesday, January 9, 2001.
GRi…/
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