Ghanaians are just hours away from electing a president from 12 vibrant contestants and 276 representatives from 2,750 eligible candidates to serve in parliament for the next four years.
For months, these candidates have gone through heaven and high water to win the hearts of their constituents.
As some sailed through preliminary selection processes to win their parties’ tickets, others put up one-man shows to vie for their slots as independent candidates.
For others, the journey to justify their inclusion in the race was hard won.
While some battled it out in court, others had to re-strategise in police cells, and some had to brave it through controversies in a bid to serve in Ghana’s parliament and occupy the presidential seat.
Unlike some candidates who did not get on the ballot due to similar cases, some ‘lucky’ few get to contest in key battlegrounds in the 2024 elections, with various candidates fiercely vying for control.
In this piece, The Ghana Report’s Election Data Centre looks at some aspirants who fought legal issues and controversies to either earn a spot on the ballot paper or still miss the mark.
Joana Cudjoe – Amenfi Central
Joana Gyan Cudjoe’s journey to represent the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as parliamentary candidate for the Amenfi Central constituency was riddled with one court case after another.
This came after months of legal battles for the parliamentary candidate.
These battles began after the May 13, 2023, NDC parliamentary primaries, where Ms. Cudjoe won overwhelmingly.
However, dissatisfied individuals filed a lawsuit, securing an interlocutory injunction that temporarily restrained her from holding herself as the duly elected candidate.
The NDC’s Functional Executive Committee annulled the May 13 elections and conducted fresh primaries on September 8, 2024.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe emerged victorious again, with the Electoral Commission (EC) supervising the process.
The party argued that the September election superseded the May election, rendering the earlier contest irrelevant and reinforcing Ms. Cudjoe’s legitimacy.
Despite the NDC’s arguments, the EC disqualified Ms. Cudjoe as the Amenfi Central parliamentary candidate, citing the interlocutory injunction tied to the annulled May 2023 election.
The party had to go back to court to address the issue.
However, she was not out of the woods yet.
Less than three days before the December 7 elections, another group went back to court.
Bernard Mornah
The disqualified People’s National Convention (PNC) presidential candidate’s journey to the ballot was truncated following a battle with the EC in court.
The EC disqualified Mr. Mornah from contesting in the 2024 presidential election due to errors in his nomination forms.
He, however, challenged the EC’s decision in court, seeking a declaration that disqualifying him without indicating any specific ground and without offering him and 10 other contestants the opportunity to be heard constituted a blatant breach of their fundamental right to a hearing.
Mr. Mornah also sought a declaration that his disqualification from contesting the 2024 presidential elections was illegal.
The court, however, upheld the Electoral Commission’s decision and threw Mr. Mornah’s case out of the court.
Dr Mahama Tia Kabiru 
The Tamale High Court placed an injunction on Dr Mahama Tia Kabiru, restraining him from holding himself as the elected NPP parliamentary candidate for the Walewale constituency.
This followed an application filed by the incumbent Member of Parliament, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, challenging the election results that saw Dr. Kabiru emerge victorious.
Dr. Kabiru came in first with 345 votes, while Hajia Lariba secured 338 votes in a fierce race.
Following the results, Hajia Abudu, who suspected foul play, immediately filed an ex-parte motion at the Tamale High Court, alleging electoral irregularities.
She also alleged malpractice by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Kabiru, and the Electoral Commission.
The court later called for a rerun of the primaries.
However, Madam Zuweira Abudu and one other contestant withdrew from the election.
Dr. Mahama then emerged as the sole aspirant for the position.
Louisa Buabeng
An independent parliamentary candidate for the Effutu Constituency in the Central Region, Louisa Buabeng, has been embroiled in legal cases going into the election.
On November 20, 2024, she was arrested immediately after court proceedings at the Winneba High Court, where she was seeking an injunction against the December 7 parliamentary elections.
Madam Buabeng had accused the EC of leaking her nomination documents to the public and therefore contended that the election be postponed to December 10, 2024.
Although specific charges were not pressed against her, the candidate’s lawyer said an individual had petitioned the police over suspicions that Buabeng fraudulently obtained the signature of one of her nominees on her nomination form.
She was later granted a police inquiry bail.
Meanwhile, the court later dismissed her injunction application.
Louisa Buabeng is contesting the election against incumbent NPP MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin and NDC parliamentary candidate Dr. James Kofi Annan.
Awal Mohammed
In October 2024, the independent parliamentary candidate for the Madina constituency was remanded for alleged impersonation.
Mr Awal Mohammed was arrested after the NDC lodged a complaint with the Madina Police, accusing him of using former President John Dramani Mahama’s image alongside his own on campaign posters, misleading voters into thinking he was running on the NDC ticket.
He was, however, discharged by the Adentan Circuit Court following the police’s withdrawal of the case.
Samuel Apea-Danquah
The independent presidential candidate, who doubles as the founder and leader of Yellow Ghana, also took legal action against the Electoral Commission following his disqualification from contesting in the December 7 presidential election.
Mr. Apea-Danquah was among 11 candidates disqualified due to alleged irregularities in their nomination forms.
He contended that his disqualification was unjust and called for the decision to be reversed.
He asked the court to compel the EC to reinstate him as a valid presidential candidate.
Like his other colleague, the High Court in Accra dismissed the case against the commission, citing “gross illegalities” on the part of the aspirant.