The Director of Legal Affairs of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gary Nimako, has indicated that the party is closely scrutinising the results of the recent Akwatia by-election, hinting that a legal challenge may be on the table though no decision has yet been made.
Speaking on JoyNews‘ on Tuesday, September 2, Mr Nimako clarified that while he is not currently preparing to head to court, he has requested full documentation from the Electoral Commission, including pink sheets, to assess whether there were any irregularities, infractions, or procedural lapses during the electoral process.
“I must now look [at] whether there were no infractions, irregularities, unsigned pink sheets… I am not saying I’m preparing [to go] to court,” Nimako said.
According to the senior NPP legal officer, the party is not rushing into any legal battle but rather taking a methodical approach.
“I have to now call for the documentation on the Akwatia by-election, assess the whole situation, and then I can make a determination as to whether or not the election is worth challenging,” he explained.
The by-election, held following the unfortunate passing of the previous NPP MP, Ernest Kumi, saw Bernard Baidoo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) declared the winner with a margin of over 2,000 votes.
However, Nimako cast doubt on the legitimacy of that result, drawing comparisons to the legal challenge previously mounted by the NDC under what he described as similar electoral conditions.
“The same character, the same lawyer, the same person who was challenging the case… Ordinarily, I would have thought my late client had won the seat with over 2,000 votes,” he said, referencing past challenges to the NPP’s electoral victories.
“When you know that parliamentary elections are ‘first past the post’ meaning just one vote is enough to win how then do I now sit here and admit that Bernard Baidoo has won with over 2,000 votes, without scrutiny?”
While maintaining that no formal challenge has been filed, Nimako made it clear that the NPP will not overlook any legitimate concerns raised about the conduct of the by-election.
“I will assess every infraction brought to my attention on its merit,” he stated.