The hopes of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to wrap up the ongoing Regional Delegates Congress across the country, have been dashed, after it failed to overturn an interlocutory injunction placed on the executives of the party last December, by a Kumasi High Court.
Regional Executives and supporters of the party left the premises of High Court Three in Kumasi last Monday, with disappointment written all over their faces, after the court refused to lift the interlocutory injunction placed on the regional executives of the party, restraining them from organizing a regional congress to elect new executives.
The party was hoping to have the decision by the court quashed, in order to pave way for the Ashanti Regional congress to be conducted.
But, the court, presided over by Justice Jacob Boon, adjourned the case to January 27, 2010, after counsel for the plaintiff, Kwame Owusu Sekyere, prayed the court to extend the injunction order, since the issues which necessitated the decision of his client, were yet to be resolved.
A leading member of the opposition party in the Ashanti Region, who is also the chairman of the Ashante Akim North constituency, Nana Adu Asabere, obtained an interlocutory injunction from the Kumasi High Court, restraining the regional and National Executives of the party from conducting the regional congress, which was initially slated for December 31, and subsequently national elections, until certain matters were resolve.
Nana Asabere, in his statement of claim, argued that some constituencies were yet to conduct their congresses, and if the executives were allowed to go ahead with the regional congress, many delegates would be disenfranchised.
At the last adjourned date, counsel for the plaintiff argued that his client was not satisfied with progress so far made, and that a number of the grievances were yet to be resolved, while eight other constituencies had not conducted their congresses.
The outcome of the court proceedings therefore means that he party would not be able to organize the regional congress slated for January 20, but the Chairman of the Regional Elections Committee, Mr. John Osei Kusi, has vowed to go ahead with the elections on the stipulated date, damning the consequences.
Mr. Kusi told The Chronicle in an interview that all the necessary arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of the regional congress on January 20 this month.
Justifying the decision, he noted that the party�s constitution stipulates that the party can hold regional delegates� congress in a case where two thirds of the constituencies had conducted their elections.
�So, in this case, where 31 out of 39 of the constituency have successfully conducted its constituency elections, we can go ahead with the regional congress,� he noted.
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