Tema West NPP Goes To Court

A member of the Tema West Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kobina Ampia-Biney, has filed a writ at a Tema High Court, seeking a declaration that the polling station register was void. He said the compilation the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo, and the constituency chairman did was in breach of the party�s rules and regulations. In a statement of claim, Mr. Ampia Biney sought that the court placed an order restraining the defendants from using the polling station register in contention for any election by the party. It said the party had issued guidelines regarding the compilation and validation of polling station membership registers and executive timetable. It claimed that the directive went on to stay that �such a compilation and validation of the register of each polling station was to be done before nomination forms are sold to prospective candidates who wish to contest elections for various positions at each polling station before elections are held�. It stated that the Greater Accra Regional office of the party had appointed Mr Albert Otchere to co-ordinate the compilation and validation of the list of each polling state party members in the Tema West Constituency before nomination for polling station executive members were invited and election held. It claimed that the MP, the Tema West Constituency chairman and one Mr. Ben Brown went round and selected the polling station executive, side stepping the laid down regulations and also without the involvement of the co ordinator, Mr Otchere, as directed by the Greater Accra Regional office of the party. The statement claimed that Ms Torshie Addo and the constituency chairman of the party had on their own, without the involvement of polling station executive members, compiled the membership register of the polling stations and also without the involvement of the co-ordinator as directed by the Greater Accra regional office. It said some executive members of the Tema West Constituency and some polling station chairpersons had petitioned the national and regional offices of the party about the breach of the regulation. �Notwithstanding these petitions the national and Greater Accra regional offices have either failed, ignored or neglected to act on these flagrant breaches of the party rules and regulations� the statement of claim said.