The New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Patrick Boakye Yiadom, has emerged victorious in the Obuasi East parliamentary race following a re-collation of results on Saturday, December 21, 2024.
Boakye Yiadom secured 18,558 votes, narrowly defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Samuel Aboagye, who garnered 18,549 votes. An independent candidate, Adjei Owusu, trailed with 424 votes.
The re-collation process stems from a High Court directive ordering the Electoral Commission (EC) to re-collate and declare results in several constituencies, including Obuasi East, Ablekuma North, and Nsawam-Adoagyiri. This directive followed complaints from aggrieved candidates of the NPP and NDC, who alleged irregularities during the initial collation and declaration of results.
On Friday, December 20, Presiding Judge Joseph Adu Owusu Agyeman ruled in favor of re-collation despite objections from legal representatives of both parties. The court determined that the anomalies raised warranted a transparent re-evaluation of the affected constituencies.
This decision has reignited debates over the integrity of the electoral process. The NDC and NPP, represented by their legal counsels, argued that the initial declarations were valid. However, the court’s ruling prioritized addressing procedural discrepancies to uphold electoral transparency.
The Obuasi East declaration, alongside other re-collations, highlights the critical role of the judiciary in ensuring fairness in Ghana’s electoral system. With heightened political tensions, the outcomes of these processes are expected to influence public trust and the trajectory of governance in the affected constituencies.