By Doreen Ampofo
The Tamale High Court has ordered the re-run of the Walewale Parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party. The Court presided over by Justice Richard Kogyapwah said the full judgement will be read on September 12, 2024.
This ruling comes barely a week for parliamentary and presidential aspirants to file their nominations for the December 7 election in line with the Electoral Commission’s timelines.
The decision by the Court follows a challenge to the election results by the Incumbent Member of Parliament, Hajia Lariba Zuweratu who alleged electoral malpractices during the elections.
In January 2024, Dr Kabiru, a 35-year-old PhD holder and Vice-Presidential Special Advisor, narrowly defeated Hajia Lariba in a tightly contested primary. The election, conducted under heavy security with the presence of regional and Constituency executives, saw Dr Kabiru winning with 345 votes to Hajia Lariba’s 338 votes.
Hajia Lariba quickly rejected the outcome of the election and filed an ex parte motion at the Tamale High Court, alleging electoral irregularities and malpractice by the party, Dr Kabiru, and the Electoral Commission. She sought an injunction to prevent Dr Kabiru from holding himself as the winner of the Walewale seat, which was eventually granted in June 2024 by the Tamale High Court.
Initially, the NPP, as a third defendant, attempted to dismiss the case, accusing Hajia Lariba of violating the party’s constitution by not exhausting internal conflict resolution mechanisms before approaching the Court.
Walewale is the home Constituency of the Vice President and NPP Flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
With this ruling, the party has less than two weeks to elect a new candidate to file their nomination before the Electoral Commission’s deadline ends on September 13, 2024.