The Koforidua High Court, under the supervision of His Lordship Justice George Krofa-Addae, has indicated that a ruling on the Suhum parliamentary election petition will be delivered before the close of the 2025/2026 legal year.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, September 25, during the cross-examination of the petitioner’s second principal witness. The Judge urged all parties to cooperate to ensure the timeline is adhered to.
The 2024 Suhum parliamentary election was contentious, with results declared several days after the polls by the Electoral Commission at the Police Training School in Accra.
Frank Asiedu Bekoe, popularly known as Protozoa, was declared the winner with 16,855 votes.
His closest rivals were Prince Kwadwo Addo Tabiri of the NDC with 15,259 votes, and Kwadjo Asante, an independent candidate, who garnered 14,860 votes. Another independent candidate, Emmanuel Dede Wiafe, received 159 votes.
Kwadjo Asante, a former MP for Suhum who contested as an independent after leaving the NPP, filed a petition challenging Bekoe’s victory. In his affidavit, Asante alleged significant irregularities in the election, including 37 pink sheets with multiple biometric verification device (BVD) numbers, five pink sheets without BVD numbers, three pink sheets were missing the presiding officers’ signatures, and 14 pink sheets containing conflicting voter figures.
Results from six polling stations, which included a total of 3,381 registered voters, were excluded from the final tally.
“As the voter population of the six (6) polling stations chronicled supra cumulates to a total voter population of Three Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty One (3,381)…the figure 2,029 is highly significant to impact the direction of the polls in one way or the other, particularly in favour of the Petitioner or that of the National Democratic Congress that is if we are to admit the figures from the 160 collated Statement of Polls,” Asante stated in his affidavit.
He is seeking relief, including a declaration that the Suhum results are void and an order for a re-run, either in the affected polling stations or the entire constituency.
Frank Asiedu Bekoe dismissed the claims, insisting the polls were “regular and lawful,” and reaffirmed his victory margin over the other candidates.
He further questioned the credibility of Asante’s petition, pointing out inconsistencies regarding objections to the inclusion of results from six polling stations where he secured the majority of votes.
“My Lord, from the results declared, even when the Petitioner, through his agent, objected to the inclusion of six (6) polling stations in which I won the majority of the total valid votes cast, the Petitioner lost the Suhum Constituency Parliamentary Elections to me by 1,995 votes.
It is strange that after objecting to the inclusion of results from six (6) polling stations in which I won the total votes, the same person would come to court to challenge his own objection,” Bekoe argued.
During proceedings on Wednesday, Gary Nimako, counsel for Bekoe, after cross-examining the petitioner’s second principal witness—a collation agent—stated he would not call the first and second respondents for cross-examination, arguing that the petitioner had failed to present evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Judge later directed that the two additional witnesses called by the petitioner submit their statements by October 3.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
