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Full judgement: 2020 Election Petition ruling

Headlines Full judgement: 2020 Election Petition ruling
MAR 5, 2021 LISTEN

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed former President John Dramani Mahama's petition challenging the 2020 Presidential election results.

In delivering the judgment, Chief Justice Anim Yeboah said the petition is dismissed without merit.

He noted that indeed, evidence on record clearly showed that the impact of alleged vote padding even if proved would be very insignificant to overturn the results obtained by President Akufo-Addo.

"We have settled in our minds that the allegation of vote padding though serious in our presidential election was not proved by credible evidence. Furthermore, even if the vote padding took place same was not material or substantial to change the final results so declared by the First Respondent Jean Mensa, Chair of the Electoral Commission."

The impact of the vote padding if even proved, Justice Anim Yeboah stated, could not have affected the declaration.

"If you take the alleged vote padding of 4,693 from the total valid votes of President Akufo-Addo, he will still have obtained more than 50percent of the total valid votes cast certified the threshold of Article 63 clause 3 of the 1992 constitution."

In a unanimous decision by the 7 justices of the Supreme Court, he indicated that they conclude the judgement by emphasising that the petitioner did not demonstrate in anyway how the alleged errors in the unilateral corrections by Jean Mensa affected the validity of the declaration made by her on December 9, 2020.

"We have therefore no reason to order a re-run," he intimated.

The Supreme Court's judgment addresses five issues that were set forth for determination, including the question of whether or not President Akufo-Addo met the constitutional threshold for election to the office of president.

Download full judgement below:

DOWNLOAD PDF: [35202191043-qvmxpcb543-2020-election-petition-judgment-scanned.pdf]

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