A Tamale High Court, presided over by Justice Gyemfi Danquah, has placed an interlocutory injunction on the ruling National Democratic (NDC�s) Northern Regional Congress scheduled for this weekend.
The party planned to hold its delegates� congress on Friday and Saturday to elect new regional officers, but the court has stopped the exercise pending the outcome of a writ before it.
A lecturer with the Tamale Polytechnic, Mohammed Aliu, who is aspiring for the Regional Secretary position of the party, dragged the NDC to court following his disqualification by the vetting committee chaired by Johnson Asiedu-Nketia last Sunday.
According to Aliu, his disqualification lacked merit and was a deliberate attempt by some members of the party to pull him out of the race which he was optimistic of winning.
He disclosed to Daily Guide that the vetting committee was not properly constituted which contravened the party�s own rules and therefore had no capacity to disqualify him.
Mr Aliu indicated that the incumbent Secretary and Treasurer, who are both seeking to be retained, were part of the committee�the reason he suspected they connived to have him disqualified.
On the main issue which was alleged to have resulted in his disqualification, he said it was a mere clerical error and attempts by him to rectify it before the committee was fiercely resisted.
It was for this reason he maintained they were bent on disqualifying him regardless of the party�s constitution, disclosing that he had to resort to the courts to remain in the race.
�My disqualification was a pure conspiracy by the NDC General Secretary and some (members of the) regional executive,� he remarked.
At the time of going to press, regional executives disclosed that they were yet to be served the injunction, but officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) had confirmed receipt of the process.
It was unclear if the party would defy the court�s directive and go ahead to hold the congress, having sent out invitation letters with preparations at an advanced stage.
Daily Guide gathered that the substantive case is expected to be heard in a fortnight, implying the NDC Regional Congress would be rescheduled.
Mohammed Aliu�s disqualification last Sunday nearly marred the vetting process, which was held at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), as his supporters stormed the place in protest.
The vetting committee, chaired by the party�s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, disqualified the aspirant on the grounds that his nomination forms were not properly endorsed.
But angry supporters of the aspirant massed up at the place in disagreement, taking the timely intervention of armed military personnel called in from the 6th Infantry Battalion (6BN) to save the situation from degenerating into violence.
Six out of the 69 aspirants who picked nomination forms to contest the various positions were disqualified by the vetting committee on the grounds that they did not meet the requirements of the party.
But some of them, including Aliu Mahama, headed to the courts and have secured an interlocutory injunction to halt the congress pending the determination of the merits of their case.
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