Immediate-past chairman of the New Patriotic Party in the Bia East Constituency of the Western Region, Nkuah Asante, has sued the party over what he says are constitutional breaches and deliberate attempts by executives to frustrate him.
Mr Asante’s suit is in respect of alleged malpractices that occurred at the party’s recently held constituency elections in the form of over-voting and the use of unqualified persons to vote and the subsequent refusal of the Regional Executive Committee to deal with a petition he has tabled in respect of same.
The former chairman had, on March 3, 2018, petitioned the party with complaints that “the presiding electoral officer, permitted unqualified persons to vote” in the constituency elections held by the party on February 24, 2018.
In that petition also, Mr Asante asserted that there was “over voting with respect to the ballots counted for the Chairmanship position”.
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According to his statement of claim sighted by adomonline.com, Mr Asante and his lawyers say even though their petition received a response by way of the setting up of a committee to investigate the issues raised, subsequent events show that there is a clear attempt to frustrate him.
According to lawyers of Mr Asante, in spite of the party’s constitution which states “that the Regional Executive Committee, when petitioned by an aggrieved member, shall within 21 days from the receipt of the petition investigate the grievance, conclude its deliberations thereon and notify its decision to the member”, it’s been over 90 days since the Regional Executive Committee received their petition but have failed to conclude the matter and notify him of its decision.
It is Mr Asante’s view that the inaction of the Regional Executive Committee is “a clear intention to frustrate him to relinquish his legitimate claim in order to perpetuate the illegality engaged in by the party on the 24th of February, 2018, so as to let the illegally elected chairman continue to enjoy the fruits of the illegality”.
He is, therefore, among other things, asking the court to compel the Regional Executive Committee in the Western Region to conclude its deliberation on the electoral petition submitted by Mr Asante and notify him of its decision within one week from the date of judgement.
He is also praying the court for an order of interim injunction to restrain the “illegally” elected chairman from performing the functions of the Chairman of NPP Bia East constituency until the final determination of the electoral dispute.