Another election petition against a Member of Parliament in the 2020 election has failed to change the outcome as declared by the Electoral Commission.
A High court in Tamale has dismissed a petition filed by the NPP’s Mohammed Abdul Somed Gunu, challenging the election of Savelugu MP, Abdul Jacob Iddrisu.
Following the declaration of the NDC’s Abdul Jacob Iddrisu as the victor, the NPP parliamentary candidate filed a petition to challenge the outcome.
According to the petitioner, the election was fraught with malpractices, irregularities and over voting among others. He thus prayed the court to annul the results.
The Tamale High Court in its ruling on Friday, January 20, said the allegations by the petitioner were just administrative errors that did not affect the outcome. The court presided over by Justice Daniel Obeng, therefore ruled that the results declared by the Electoral Commission was valid.
The petitioner is to pay an amount of GH¢40,000 and GH¢20,000 to the elected Member of Parliament and the Electoral Commission respectively.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Abdul Salam, who’s the representative of the 2nd respondent, Abdul Jacob Iddrisu, suggested to Citi News that the case is not over.
“The judge admitted that there were administrative errors which he says did not affect the outcome of the election. We are certain that there was a criminal case. The NPP and the lawyers will pursue another criminal case.”
The Deputy General Secretary of the NPP also said the ruling does not affect Parliament in any way.
Other cases
In a related development, a petition filed by the Zabzugu NDC 2020 parliamentary candidate, Umar Alhassan, against the elected Member of Parliament, John Bennam Jabaah of the constituency has also been dismissed by the court.
On January 14, a High Court in Sefwi Wiaso in the Western North Region, also confirmed Dr. Kwaku Afriyie as Member of Parliament for the Sefwi Wiawso Constituency.
After the 2020 parliamentary election, the candidate of the opposition NDC, Paul Evans Aidoo, challenged the results collated by the Electoral Commission.
But the court upon hearing the accounts of all the parties, declared that the case of the petitioner has no merit.
Source – Tru News Report
