NPP to contest results of 38 Constituencies in court- Akomea

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will soon head to court again to contest the results of 38 Parliamentary seats in the just ended 2012 elections.

Director of Communications of the party, Nana Akomea believes the results churned out in those constituencies were questionable.

He made the disclosure on MultiTV and Joy FM news analysis programme Newsfile on Saturday in a reaction to a feature written by the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association Dr Sodji Sodji Tetteh which questioned the decision by the NPP to boycott the presidential inauguration and not the Parliamentary inauguration.

Nana Akomea said the view by the GMA General Secretary-a view the deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also holds- is flawed and unsustainable.

He argued the parliamentary elections are distinct from that of the presidential, explaining, the parliamentary elections are individual results whilst that of the presidential results are national.

He said the NPP is challenging results of 38 constituencies and will soon head to court. He did not however mention the constituencies.

He defended the party’s decision to boycott the swearing-in of President John Mahama as consistent with the party’s decision to go to court.

He explained they cannot be part of an event that will legitimize a president whose election results they are contesting in court.

"The inauguration and swearing in are on the basis of the disputed election… We find it difficult to lend our support to a ceremony which will legitimize those results,” he said.

He said Parliamentary boycotts are legitimate means of protest in a democracy and cited instances in which the NDC also boycotted Parliament.

In 2007, the NDC minority in Parliament also boycotted the State of the Nation Address by then President John Kufuor in protest over the incarceration of Dan Abodakpi, Nana Akomea stated.

He added the NPP will “find it difficult to support any major activity of the president.”

But the Deputy Majority Leader in the recently dissolved Parliament Rashid Pelpuo said the decision by the NPP is unfortunate.

He said the boycott is only a smear campaign against the president and to create a wrong impression to the outside world that the election 2012 was flawed.

He blamed what he said was leadership failure of the NPP, adding the opposition party has always shown it is always a bad loser.