The High Court in Tamale has issued an injunction against Dr Mahama Tia Kabiru, barring him from presenting himself as the elected parliamentary candidate (PC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Walewale constituency in the North East Region.
This decision, handed down on Monday, June 24, by Justice Richard Kugyapaw, comes in response to a challenge to the election results by the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Hajia Lariba Zuweratu.
Earlier this year in January, Dr Kabiru, a 35-year-old PhD holder and special advisor to the Vice President, edged out Hajia Lariba in a closely fought primary.
The election, which took place under stringent security measures and was attended by regional and constituency executives, resulted in a victory for Dr Kabiru with 345 votes, compared to Hajia Lariba’s 338 votes.
Hajia Lariba promptly disputed the election results and lodged an ex parte motion at the Tamale High Court, accusing the party, Dr Kabiru, and the Electoral Commission of electoral irregularities and misconduct.
She requested an injunction to stop Dr Kabiru from declaring himself the victor, a request that has now been granted.
In the primary, two other candidates, Tahiru Sham-Una and Jangdoo Mahama, received 145 and 1 vote, respectively. Initially, the NPP, as a third defendant, sought to have the case dismissed, alleging that Hajia Lariba had breached the party’s constitution by not utilising internal conflict resolution mechanisms before resorting to the court.
Prior to this ruling, NPP supporters in the Walewale constituency held a press conference calling for the intervention of the party’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to settle the dispute.
They cautioned that if the issue is not resolved swiftly, it could potentially harm the party’s prospects in the forthcoming general elections.
Meanwhile, the High Court in March granted pleas by the NPP to settle the dispute out-of-court.
In a previous session on March 15, the party had asked the court to dismiss the case, but the court refused and fined the party GH¢8000.
But the court agreed to the party’s request for an out-of-court settlement.
