Ashanti: Court places injunction on NPP polling station elections at Mampong

A High Court Judge has granted an application for injunction filed by some aggrieved members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), restraining the ruling party from conducting elections to pick new officers at various polling stations in the Mampong Constituency of the Ashanti Region.

The plaintiffs, Kofi Sarpong, and 34 others have accused some constituency executives of deliberately making nomination forms unavailable to all aspirants. They further claim that the executives are rather issuing the forms to their favourites clandestinely, thus denying others the opportunity to contest in the election.

The suit filed on Friday, February 25, 2022, named the New Patriotic Party and its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, – as defendants.

The others are Mr. Nelson Owusu Ansah, Chairman of the nine-member committee supervising the elections in the Mampong Constituency, Mr. Asare Luther, the Constituency Chairman, and Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, the MP for the area.

It is not clear whether each of the parties has been served.

One of the aggrieved party members who spoke to dailymailgh.com said: “We want the court to cancel the entire election process. The irregularities are one too many. This is not the NPP we joined years ago. What these executives are doing is unfortunate and I think seeking redress in court is the right thing to do.”

Another said: “We are in court to get the rank and file of the party to put things in order and for the whole world to see what is going on at Mampong. Some forms were issued as early as 3 a.m. And as we speak some of us still do not have access to the nomination form. How can you bend the rules to serve your interest? Is it the NPP we have been serving for years?”

Injunction secured in New Juaben South

In a related development, some NPP members in the New Juaben South Constituency in the Eastern Region are seeking to halt the process as they secure an injunction against the upcoming polling station and area coordinators elections.

The four plaintiffs, Jalil Ibn Tahir, Amoh Jonas, Ako George and Mable Asantewaa Aikins, said there has been a deliberate attempt by the constituency executives not to make the nomination forms available to all aspirants.

They claim that the executives are rather selling the forms to their favourite aspirants clandestinely, hence denying others the opportunity to contest in the elections.

“All efforts to buy copies of the nomination forms have proved futile…The plaintiffs say the defendants are secretly and or clandestinely selling nomination forms to their favourites, depriving other prospective candidates attempts to contest for their respective positions in their various poling stations,” they mentioned in their statement of claim as published by the CNR.

They accused the Constituency Chairman, Prince Benjamin Aboagye and the Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Alhassan of failing to open nominations on the expected date, 19th February, 2022.

They also accused them of failing to communicate the venue for the picking of nomination forms as expected of them.

According to the plaintiffs, although they petitioned the elections committee over the issue, nothing was done about it.

They therefore want the court to order the defendants to cancel the entire electioneering process due to the irregularities and “an order of the court directed at the defendants who are in charge/custody of the nomination forms for the polling station and electoral area coordinators election to make same available to all eligible prospective candidates in the upcoming polling station and electoral area coordinators elections New Juaben Constituency.”

They also want the national executives to take charge of the sale of nomination forms and an order that “no prospective aspirant shall be denied access to the purchase of application forms.”

Widespread agitation amid chaos          

The opening of nomination for polling station elections have been characterised by confusion and, in some instances, chaos, as aspirants accuse party executives of hoarding nomination forms.

Manhyia North, Kwadaso, Bosomtwe and Kumawu are some of the constituencies hit with widespread confusion.

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH and News Agencies