A 48-hour ultimatum to the National Executive Committee to lift the suspension on the upcoming primaries in the Manhyia South constituency of the Ashanti Region, has been issued by the Branch Executives and Ward Coordinators of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the area.

This follows the exemption of Manhyia South, Fomena and Adansi Asokwa constituencies from participating in the upcoming NDC primaries.

Recently, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NDC suspended Manhyia South, Fomena and Adansi Asokwa constituencies from participating in the upcoming NDC primaries. This event led to the 48-hour ultimatum expressed by the Branch Executives towards the NEC, to lift the holdup.

Sources state that some persons raised issues regarding the credibility of the election in Manhyia South constituency of the NDC and this led to the constituency’s suspension by the NEC, for further investigations.

The aggrieved Manhyia South party members have thus, threatened to place an injunction on the primaries slated for May 13, in the region over the matter.

Yaw Appiah addressing the media, as a fellow of the assembly cautioned, “We would like to use this medium to address salient issues concerning our delegates’ list and the entire constituency of which some national and individuals sought to use the court process to deny their rightful place and voluntarily choose their flagbearer and subsequently impose Rita Antwi, as the parliamentary on delegates.”

“We the leaders of all the branches will like to inform the national executive committee and the functional executive committee to speak up and caution individuals and call for the removal of the suspension of branch executives that bars these delegates from partaking in the May 13 primaries within 48 hours, before we advise ourselves legally. We would like to seek an injunction to halt the elections in the Ashanti region.”
Yaw Appiah

In a related development, a flagbearer aspirant of NDC, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor also filed an interlocutory injunction against the party’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary primaries. However, the party is set to ignore Dr. Kwabena Duffuor and proceed with its primaries.

The party will head to the polls on Saturday, May 13, to elect a flagbearer and Members of Parliament ahead of the 2024 elections. Yet, the suit may bar the party and the Electoral Commission from holding the primaries, pending the production of a complete photo album register. The former Finance Minister also wants the party to deliver the complete register to him, at least five weeks ahead of the election.

Injunction Application Against NDC’s Eastern Regional Executives Dismissed

A Koforidua High Court dismissed the application for an interlocutory injunction, filed by John Owusu Amankrah, the former Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against the new regional executives of the party.

The former Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC prayed the court to injunct the regional executives from holding themselves up as regional executives. He also asked the court to annul the regional elections held on December 19, 2022.

The application essentially sought to stop the executives and the party from undertaking any activity in the region, until the court decided the case.

John Owusu Amankrah indicated that he was the only one who has the power under the NDC Constitution, to organise the conference that got the new officers elected. He argued that, per the NDC constitution, the party’s Functionary Executive Council (FEC) or the General Secretary, did not have the power to organise the conference.

The presiding Judge, Justice William Osei Kufour, after considering submissions by lawyers from both sides and carefully examining documents submitted, dismissed the application indicating that the reliefs lacked merit based on Article 18 (2) of the party’s constitution.

The Eastern Regional First Vice Chairman of the party, Ransford Owusu Boakye, and the Deputy Regional Treasurer, Obibini Lartey, described the judgment as a relief to the party’s executives.

Former Attorney General of Ghana, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, who represented the national body of the NDC, advised both parties to put the ruling behind them and work together to secure victory in the 2024 general elections.