Supreme court passes verdict on Akwatia constituency
election
By Awudu Salami Sule. Ghanadot
Accra, July 15, Ghanadot - The Akwatia constituency in the Eastern Region is the only
constituency with no representation in parliament.
This was as a result of the violence which characterised the
elections during the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary
elections and the case ended up in court.
The case was first heard at the High Court in Koforidua but
ended up at the Supreme court as a party to the case was not
satisfied with the earlier ruling by the court.
The merit of the case was whether the Electoral Commission
should conduct fresh elections at the constituency or re-run
the election at the six polling centres where the violence
took place.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday July 15 unanimously ruled
that the Electoral Commission will have to re-run elections
at six polling centres in the Akwatia Constituency of the
Eastern Region.
The five-member panel chaired by Justice William Atugubah
consequently quashed an earlier decision of the High Court
in Koforidua ordering the EC to re-run the entire Akwatia
Constituency elections.
The High Court's decision followed a petition by Baba Jamal,
NDC candidate in the 2008 elections, and two independent
candidates, Basil Ahiable and Samuel Abrokwah.
There was confusion over the ballots in the disputed polling
centres amidst claims and counter claims of ballot box
stuffing after some unknown thugs stormed the centres and
attempted to steal the boxes.
The EC, after the poll, announced it would run the Akwatia
polls again but in six polling stations where it was thought
the process was truncated, however the petitioning group
asked it to run the entire constituency.
The fourth candidate was Dr Kofi Asare of the New Patriotic
Party, who supported the decision of the EC to run the
elections again in only the six troubled centres.
Baba Jamal and the two others therefore went to court to
stop the Electoral Commission from running the poll in only
the six constituencies and also from declaring anyone the
winner of the constituency polls.
After the Supreme Court ruling, counsel for Baba Jamal
expressed disappointment and said his client would appeal
against the decision by the highest Court of the land.
Ghanadot
