Incumbent Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has vowed to contest the results of the parliamentary election in court after the Electoral Commission (EC) declared Abdulai Abu Baba Abubakar Sadiq of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the winner of the highly contested seat.
The election saw a fierce battle between Boamah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, and Baba Sadiq, with early results initially suggesting that Boamah had won.
However, protests from the NDC prompted the EC to review the figures. Following this review, the EC officially declared Baba Sadiq the winner, with 15,383 votes, compared to Boamah’s 14,949 votes.
The final declaration was made after the NDC requested that the EC use two-thirds of the available polling station results to announce the Okaikwei Central results.
The EC had identified anomalies in around 31 pink sheets, which led to consultations before the final decision was made.
Despite the disagreements between the NDC and NPP, Baba Sadiq’s victory is seen as a significant win for the NDC in a constituency traditionally regarded as a stronghold for the NPP.
His supporters have celebrated the outcome, expressing hope that his tenure will bring positive change and development to the area.
However, Boamah, addressing the press, expressed confidence that he had won the election and vowed to respect due process in challenging the results.
“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.”
