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NDC Now Has 50 Per Cent Of Parliamentary Seats
Accra, April 10, Ghanadot/GNA
– The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) now has 115
out of the 230 seats in the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth
Republic of Ghana with the declaration of Asutifi South
Constituency 2008 Parliamentary Election Results.
Alhaji Collins Dauda, NDC Candidate for the Constituency,
was on Friday declared winner of the Election held on
December 7, 2008.
He polled 10,984 votes as against 10,970 votes for Mr Yiadom
Boakye-Boateng, New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate and 78
votes for Mr George Otchere of Democratic People’s Party (DPP).
Mr Henry Kwakye Adjie, Returning Officer of the
Constituency, announced the results in the presence of the
Brong Ahafo Regional and the Constituency Officers of the
NDC and NPP, the Media, Police and Officials of the
Electoral Commission led by Mr Kwesi Arthur Yeboah, the
Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Director of EC.
Also present were Mr Kwedwo Nyamekye Marfo, the Regional
Minister, and Mr Eric Opoku, Deputy Regional Minister.
A large number of NDC supporters, who had arrived in buses,
went into wild jubilation when the results were declared.
A contingent of baton-wielding Policemen was deployed at the
Regional EC premises, where the results were declared.
The declaration of the results followed a unanimous decision
of the Supreme Court on Wednesday against a Sunyani High
Court’s ruling that restrained the EC from declaring the
results.
The Sunyani High Court had upheld a petition that sought to
restrain the declaration of the winner of the Asutifi South
Constituency Parliamentary Results.
The Supreme Court unanimously declared that there should be
no further hearing of the Asutifi South election petition at
the Sunyani High Court.
This followed the granting of a certiorari application
brought before it by Alhaji Dauda, which prayed the Supreme
Court to quash the Sunyani High Court’s ruling it delivered
on the election petition on January 6 2009.
The Supreme Court’s reason for its decision was that an
election petition could only be filed after the Electoral
Commission (EC) had declared a winner.
After its unanimous decision had been read by Professor
Justice Samuel Date-Bah, the Court, presided over by Mr
Justice William Atuguba, awarded cost of GH¢1,000 against Mr
Boakye-Boateng.
The three other panel members were Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo,
Mrs Justice Rose Owusu and Mr Justice Paul Baffor-Bonnie.
After the election Mr Boakye-Boateng petitioned the High
Court to restrain the Electoral officers in the Asutifi
constituency from declaring the results.
He alleged that the entire process of collating the results
needed to be investigated, because apart from it being
fraught with corrupt practices, the NDC candidate and the
electoral officers were involved in electoral malpractices.
After the High Court overruled a preliminary objection
raised by Counsel for the NDC candidate on December 22,
2008, the Electoral Commission (EC) petitioned the Court of
Appeal (CA) to order the High Court to stay proceedings on
the matter.
Mr Sam Codjoe was counsel for Alhaji Dauda, while Nkrabeah
Effah-Dartey and Mr E. O. Armah represented Mr
Boakye-Boateng and the EC, respectively.
With the declaration of the Asutifi South results, only that
of Akwatia Constituency is outstanding.
GNA
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