Court orders re-run of NPP primary at Kwesimintsim

An Accra High Court has cleared Mr Joseph Mensah, a primaries contestant in the Kwesimintsim Constituency in the Western Region to contest for a new primary to be organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

It said this is to be done to elect the party’s parliamentary candidate in the coming general elections.

The Court, chaired by Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Eaash, gave this order.

Judgement was made after the Court upheld claims by one of the contestants, Joseph Mensah that he was unjustifiably disqualified from contesting in the primary that involved the incumbent MP, Joe Baidoe-Ansah.

The ruling of the Court was that the party should allow Mr Mensah to participate in the primary and any other future elections in the constituency because his disqualification was not lawful and was against the tenets of the Constitution.

The Court's ruling for fresh primaries in the Kwesimintsim Constituency comes just a week before the filing of nominations on September 30 which means that the primary could be held latest by Wednesday, September 28 to enable the winner file his nomination.

Mr Mensah was disqualified by the Constituency Vetting Committee on the basis that he was not a member of the party.

The Committee claimed that the candidate’s party identity cards were fake and he was also a former cadre who worked with the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under leader, Flt Lt J.J. Rawlings and that he was also working for the interest of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

After his disqualification, Mr Mensah appealed against the decision at the National Appeals Committee level, which also endorsed the disqualification by the constituency, forcing him to take the matter to court.

Mr Baidoe-Ansah, who was accompanied by some supporters to the Court, said he accepts the ruling of the court and that he was prepared to re-contest for the Kwesimintsim Constituency.