The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Asante Mampong constituency has been given the green light to hold its parliamentary primaries after the Court of Appeal dismissed an interlocutory injunction filed by some aggrieved party members.
The injunction was sought by 35 party members who were challenging the validity of the polling station elections held in February 2022. They claimed that the elections were marred by irregularities and violations of the party's constitution.
The injunction resulted in the suspension of the parliamentary primary in the Mampong Constituency, which was originally scheduled for January 27, 2023. The NPP had already conducted its presidential primary in June 2022, in which the polling station executives were allowed to vote despite the pending case.
The High Court in Mampong had earlier thrown out the case, paving the way for the party to elect its electoral area coordinators and constituency executives. However, the plaintiffs, led by Kofi Sarpong, were not satisfied with the verdict and appealed to the Court of Appeal.
They also obtained a fresh injunction to stop the parliamentary primary from taking place until the appeal was heard. But on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, a three-judge panel presided over by Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsa dismissed the injunction application, saying that it was not in the best interest of the party.
The ruling means that the NPP can now proceed to organize its parliamentary primary in the Mampong Constituency, where four aspirants are vying for the party's ticket. They are the incumbent MP, Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, a former MP, Francis Addai-Nimoh, a former DCE, Thomas Appiah-Kubi, and a businessman, Benjamin Arthur.
The counsel for the respondents, Francis Opuni Kesse, welcomed the ruling and said that the party was ready to conduct the primary as soon as possible.
"We are happy that the court has dismissed the injunction application and cleared the way for the party to hold its parliamentary primary in the Mampong Constituency. We are prepared to organize the election in accordance with the party's rules and regulations," he said.
On the other hand, the counsel for the plaintiffs, Emmanuel Osei Abu-Bonsra, expressed his disappointment with the ruling and said that he would advise his clients on the next course of action.
"We are not happy with the ruling but we respect the decision of the court. We will consult our clients and decide on the next step to take. We have other legal options to pursue, such as going to the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, or seeking a review. We have not exhausted all the avenues available to us," he said.
The NPP Mampong Constituency has been a stronghold of the party since 1992, when it won its first parliamentary seat. The party has retained the seat in every election since then, with varying margins of victory. The party is confident of winning the seat again in the 2024 general elections.
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