The Supreme Court has adjourned to April 30 to rule on an application filed by Akwatia MP, Ernest Kumi, seeking to overturn an interim injunction that barred his swearing-in on January 6.
Despite the injunction, Mr. Kumi went ahead with the swearing-in ceremony, leading to a contempt charge by the High Court. He is now petitioning the Supreme Court to nullify the injunction and prevent the High Court judge from hearing the case further.
Mr. Kumi’s legal team, led by Gary Nimako Marfo, argues that the High Court lacked jurisdiction in granting the injunction, as it arose from an election petition filed by NDC parliamentary candidate Henry Boakye on December 31, 2024.
They contend that such petitions can only be filed within 21 days of the official gazette publication of election results. According to them, the results were gazetted on January 6, 2025, making Boakye’s petition premature.
However, Mr. Boakye’s lawyers disputed this claim, asserting that the Electoral Commission (EC) had gazetted the results earlier on December 24, 2024.
Lead counsel Bernard Bediako Baidu argued that Kumi’s presented gazette was inaccurate, while their client had the original version, backed by EC filings referencing Gazette No. 234 from December 24. He also pointed out inconsistencies in Kumi’s document, which bore a different gazette number.
The EC’s legal representative, Justin Amennuvor, revealed that neither document was presented to the High Court at the time of its ruling.
Instead, the judge relied on an online publication cited by NDC lawyers to establish jurisdiction. Amennuvor maintained that since the court did not have the official gazette record before making its decision, the ruling should be overturned.
A five-member Supreme Court panel, chaired by Justice Gabriel Pwamang, is expected to deliver its ruling on the matter on April 30.
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