Wontumi, EC, others cited for contempt over Subin NPP parliamentary primary

Some members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Subin constituency of the Ashanti Region have filed a contempt suit against the Electoral Commission and NPP officials for going ahead to organise a parliamentary primary to elect a candidate for the party despite a court injunction.

The suit, filed by 51 members of the party, all said to be delegates is against the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi), and the Member of Parliament for the area, Eugene Boakye Antwi.

They are said to have ignored an injunction order not to conduct June 20, 2020, primary despite receiving court injunction.

Motion

In their motion of notice, the aggrieved delegates said the respondents were fully aware of a legal suit instituted by the applicants on June 18, 2020, against the conduct of the polls but still went ahead.

Also cited were the Ashanti Regional Director of Research and Elections, Mr Patrick Acheampong, the Subin constituency chairman, Mr Michael Adusei Bonsu and his Secretary Akuamoah Boateng.

The action filed on Friday, July 3, 2020, was for alleged contemptuous and deliberate acts and conduct calculated by the respondents to bring the administration of justice and authority and dignity of the court into irreparable ridicule, contempt and public ridiculing.

Decision

It follows the apparent unilateral suspension of the aggrieved delegates by the defendants with the intention to disenfranchise them.

Ahead of the election which re-elected Mr Antwi as the parliamentary candidate for the NPP in the December 2020 election, a motion to restrain the EC and the NPP National was granted by the Kumasi High Court.

Order

Indeed, on June 19, his year, the Kumasi High Court presided over by Justice Ali Baba Abature ordered that the defendants should refrain from holding the NPP Subin Constituency parliamentary primary for the next 10 days but the party and defendants disregarded the ban and went ahead with the polls.

Affidavit

In a 22-point affidavit in support of the applicants for the committal for contempt, Mr Isaac Nimako, on behalf of the 50 other applicants affirmed even though the EC complied with the restraining orders by the court, Mr Eugene Boakye Antwi who is the third defendant, indicated that injunction or not, there would be an election even when the EC had drawn the attention of the defendants to the injunction.

It said the defendants deliberately ignored the injunction in an apparent move to disregard the court.

Hearing is on July 21.