Court Stops NDC Election

THREE BRANCH executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the Fanteakwa South constituency of the Eastern Region – Nana Tiefo II, Victor Kwaku Boye and Elizabeth Sarkodie – have placed a court injunction on the upcoming parliamentary primaries in the constituency slated for November 21.

A similar injunction has been placed on the North Tongu constituency election in the Volta Region where Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is the incumbent MP.

The Koforidua high court has also ordered the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the Eastern Regional NDC chairman, Bismark Tawiah Boateng and the Fanteakwa constituency chairman to stop the upcoming parliamentary primaries in the Fanteakwa South constituency until one Abigail Elorm Mensah, an aspiring parliamentary candidate, has been disqualified from contesting.

According to the three plaintiffs who instituted the action, they are praying the court to stop Elorm Mensah because she has not been an active party member for the past four years.

The plaintiffs, from the three branches of the NDC in Shama, Nkankama and Osino, said Abigail Elorm Mensah is not a native from the constituency but the party’s vetting committee went ahead to qualify her to contest the race.

Nana Tiefo II, briefing Daily Guide on Thursday, said their outfit wrote numerous petitions to the vetting committee to disqualify Elorm Mensah on the charges that she doesn’t vote and is not a native of the constituency, adding that Elorm has never supported any constituency activity.

“We wouldn’t work for her to benefit; we don’t know her. We wrote petitions against her but the party’s vetting committee went ahead to qualify her because the regional executives said the president brought her to contest,” Nana Tiefo asserted.

He added that Abigail Elorm, who is a former aspiring deputy national youth organiser of the NDC, is not a candidate who can win the parliamentary seat in next year’s general elections.

The court will hear the case on November 11.

North Tongu

In the North Tongu constituency, embattled parliamentary aspirant Christopher Kofi Eblu has sued the NDC for disqualifying him from contesting the parliamentary primary.

Others who are joined to the suit are the NDC National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, the Volta Regional NDC Chairman, Joseph Kwabena Gyapong and North Tongu Constituency Chairman, Moses Amenudor.

Mr Eblu is seeking a declaration that he is a proven leading member of the party.

He is also praying the court to place an interlocutory injunction on the North Tongu constituency NDC restraining the party from holding its parliamentary primary.

The suit was filed at the high court, Accra, on Monday, November 3, 2015.

Disgruntled Eblu was disqualified by the NDC National Petition Review Committee on October 14, 2015 on grounds that he had been arraigned before an Accra high court (Financial Division) for defrauding the state to the tune of GH¢646,000.

The former Director of Internal Audit Unit at the Ministry of Health (MOH) was said to have received payment in 2008 for a maintenance contract which was never executed.

The high court has slated Friday, November 13, 2015 for hearing of the case.