EC’s approach to post election disputes is concerning – Barker-Vormawor

Private legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor has expressed concerns over the Electoral Commission’s (EC) handling of disputes arising from the 2024 parliamentary elections.

Speaking in an interview, Barker-Vormawor described the EC’s actions regarding the re-collation of contested results as “hasty and procedurally flawed.”

His comments come after the Supreme Court’s decision to quash re-collation results for Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Techiman South, and Okaikwei Central.

Barker-Vormawor questioned the EC’s urgency in re-collating disputed results, stating, “We don’t understand the rush, a rush that not only seems unnecessary but also offends law and procedure. You cannot disrespect the courts when there’s a pending application to stay; you can’t take any action”.

Barker-Vormawor further criticized the EC for filing an affidavit in court opposing the mandamus application while simultaneously moving forward to gazette results for the affected constituencies.

“These series of actions, for me, are something we need to look at. The liberty which the Electoral Commission continues to give itself in undermining judicial processes is really concerning, especially when trust in it is consistently low, and when people are continuing to question these actions,” he added.

The Supreme Court’s ruling found that the trial judge violated the NDC parliamentary candidates’ right to a hearing when they applied to the High Court.

While the re-collated results were invalidated, the mandamus application remains active and must be heard by the High Court on Tuesday, December 31, under a different judge.