The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for Savelugu Constituency in the Northern Region, Muhammed Abdul-Samed Gunu, has filed a petition at the Tamale High Court challenging the validity of the 2020 parliamentary election results declared by the Electoral Commission (EC).
The parliamentary election suit dated January 8, 2021, had the EC as the first respondent and Abdulai Jacob Iddriss, who stood on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and won the election, as the second respondent.
The NPP Savelugu parliamentary candidate said the overarching of aspiration of the 1st respondent is to conduct elections that are free, fair and transparent in order to reflect the will of the people, protect the rights of candidates and inspire confidence in the democratic experiment that the republic has conducted under the fourth Republican Constitution since 1992.
Mr. Gunu polled 19,478 votes whereas the NDC’s candidate gained 19,577 votes, an Independent Candidate obtained 10,286 votes and a Candidate on the ticket of the People’s National Convention got 156 votes.
A portion of the petition read, “The purported election of the NDC Candidate as a Member of Parliament for Savelugu is invalid owing to widespread malpractice and irregularities, which affected the outcome of the impugned election.”
It asserted that parliamentary and presidential elections were vitiated by gross and widespread malpractices that substantially and materially affected the results as declared by 1st Respondent in favour of 2nd Respondent”.
“When a proper reckoning is made of only lawful and valid votes cast, petitioner ought to have been declared the duly elected MP for the area.”
Mr. Gunu, therefore, prayed the court to declare the second respondent as not the validly MP-eclect for the constituency.
Meanwhile, the Awake News has gathered that supporters of the NPP in the Savelugu constituency have refused to accept the declaration of the results in favor of the NDC candidate claiming due to over-voting, ballots at the polling stations should be nullified in accordance with the electoral laws.
“The election was null, void, and of no legal effect, and any “consequential orders as to this court may seem to meet, he said.
Find the 13 page(s) petition below: