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26.07.2014 NPP

NPP Sued Again!

By Daily Guide
NPP Sued Again!
26.07.2014 LISTEN

Paul Afoko, National Chairman of NPP
THE OPPOSITION New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been dragged to court again by its former constituency Chairman for Central Tongu in the Volta region, David Hoezame, who had earlier instituted a similar court action.

Hoezame recently sued the party, challenging the composition of the NPP's national Council, the highest decision-making body after Congress.

The case was however thrown out by an Accra High Court.

But even before the party could settle down after the recent election of regional representatives to the Council, the man is back in court again with an amended writ, contesting the election of the regional representatives.

He is therefore praying an Accra High Court to declare the election of the regional representatives null and void for fresh elections to be held.

In a suit filed on Wednesday July 23, 2014, Hoezame, who has virtually become a black sheep in his party, claimed he has been waiting for notice of Poll and the opening of nomination to enable him to contest to become regional representative.

According to him, to date there has not been any such notice to conduct the said elections, neither has there been any election to elect regional representatives to the national Council.

The case is expected to be heard on Tuesday August 12, 2014.

He failed to recognise the recent election of regional representatives to the national Council, contesting the basis on which the body (national Council) came up with a timetable for the upcoming flagbearership race of the party and the subsequent issuance of a set of guidelines to regulate the process.

Claims
Hoezame claimed that in June 2014, he was informed that a National Council meeting had been held, jeopardising his plan to contest in the said election.

This, he noted, constituted a breach of the NPP's constitution since in his opinion 'no elections have been conducted.'

According to him, if the Npp had complied with the provisions of the party's constitution, he would have contested in the election and served on the National Council.

He said Article 7 (15) of the NPP's constitution clearly demonstrated how regional representatives of the party become members of the national Council to aid in the running of the affairs of the party and that the regional Annual Delegates Conference shall elect representatives to serve on the National Council.

The former constituency chairman therefore insisted that issuing guidelines and notices for the election on June 26, 2014 and organizing the said elections on June 27, 2014 to elect regional representatives 'is not only unfair but unreasonable in the conduct of any meaningful elections in a democratic society.'

Aside that, he said it was not only contemptuous but 'also seeks to undermine and overreach the plaintiff (Hoezame) and the administration of justice.'

Reliefs
Hoezame is therefore seeking an order of the court to set aside what he described as 'the purported election of the regional representatives to serve on the National Council and an order setting aside all decisions and actions taken by the purported national Council.'

He also wants a declaration to the effect that 'the announcement of 18th day of october, 2014 as date for the election of the 1 st defendant's (NPP's) Presidential candidate is null and void' and an order for the party to properly issue notices and open nominations for the election of regional representatives to serve on the national Council in accordance with the provisions of the 1 st defendant's (NPP's) constitution while restraining the current national Council from holding any meetings or taking decisions on behalf of the NPP in furtherance of the forthcoming presidential primaries.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

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