The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is set to hold parliamentary primaries in the Asante Mampong constituency on February 17.
This comes after the Court of Appeal dismissed an interlocutory injunction challenging the primaries’ conduct. The legal dispute, sparked by some dissatisfied party members questioning the legitimacy of polling station elections, has been ongoing since February 2022.
The plaintiffs, led by Kofi Sarpong, have filed a new lawsuit contesting the conduct of the 27 January primary in that constituency. They said that the present voter list cannot be used to conduct the elections. However, on Wednesday (14 February), a three-member panel led by Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsa denied the application.
The current verdict allows the party to hold new parliamentary elections in the constituency. Alhaji Agyei Malik, the Mampong constituency secretary of the NPP, gave further information on the latest developments.
“The case was dismissed by the court because the plaintiffs did not produce enough evidence and so the judges went ahead to dismiss the case after their counsel admitted that their case had no merit. As we speak the party has set 17 February for the conduct of the elections. The constituency elections committee has also confirmed this date. All relevant stakeholders including polling station executives have been duly informed”, Malik said.
“We believe that this is not a win for certain people and vanquish for others. The onus lies on those people claiming victory to extend an olive hand to the other side and bring them on board. I believe it will be difficult but once the commitment is there, we will be able to sail through, have a united front ahead of the 2024 general election”, he added.
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Emmanuel Osei Abu-Bonsra, voiced his disappointment with the court’s judgement while underlining his respect for it. Despite this view, he stated that they will pursue alternative legal options.
“I am not satisfied with the ruling, but I respect the court’s decision. I will inform my clients on our future actions, since we have further choices to examine. We can appeal to the Court of Appeals or perhaps the Supreme Court, and we can even request a review. We have not exhausted all available channels yet,” he explained.
