The High Court in Tamale has nullified the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Walewale parliamentary primary.
Dr. Mahama Tia Kabiru was pronounced the winner of the disputed primary, which ended in court.
Dr. Mahama Tia Kabiru was served with an injunction on June 24 that prohibits him from presenting himself as the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) chosen parliamentary candidate (PC) in the constituency.
The verdict was issued on Monday, September 2, 2024, paving the way for further nominations.
Dr. Kabiru, a 35-year-old PhD holder and special advisor to the Vice President, narrowly defeated Hajia Lariba in a close primary earlier this year.
Dr. Kabiru won the poll, which was held under strict security and attended by regional and constituency executives, with 345 votes, compared to the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Hajia Lariba Zuweratu, who received 338 votes.
Hajia Lariba instantly questioned the election results and filed an ex parte motion.
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.
https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?gdpr=0&client=ca-pub-6034552436546687&output=html&h=280&adk=144910138&adf=3867162050&pi=t.aa~a.2067693828~i.16~rp.4&w=750&abgtt=6&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1725302643&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=4282796847&ad_type=text_image&format=750×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcitinewsroom.com%2F2024%2F09%2Ftamale-high-court-nullifies-npp-walewale-primary-calls-for-rerun%2F&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=188&rw=750&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&uach=WyJXaW5kb3dzIiwiMTAuMC4wIiwieDg2IiwiIiwiMTI4LjAuNjYxMy4xMTMiLG51bGwsMCxudWxsLCI2NCIsW1siQ2hyb21pdW0iLCIxMjguMC42NjEzLjExMyJdLFsiTm90O0E9QnJhbmQiLCIyNC4wLjAuMCJdLFsiR29vZ2xlIENocm9tZSIsIjEyOC4wLjY2MTMuMTEzIl1dLDBd&dt=1725302642510&bpp=3&bdt=1782&idt=-M&shv=r20240828&mjsv=m202408280101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D945b3fa7eba178ae%3AT%3D1721034095%3ART%3D1725302582%3AS%3DALNI_MbXN90NYpu1lXmNKU-n64CzSloULQ&gpic=UID%3D00000e8cfe6026c3%3AT%3D1721034095%3ART%3D1725302582%3AS%3DALNI_MZpdwRnglvnVjs02MOPCdIFTOcxYA&eo_id_str=ID%3Dc384ed55c51ab117%3AT%3D1722251646%3ART%3D1725302582%3AS%3DAA-AfjZAcKEbrX6KQyfrCcnLOWcA&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1200x280%2C750x280&nras=2&correlator=8565651618837&frm=20&pv=1&u_tz=0&u_his=3&u_h=900&u_w=1440&u_ah=860&u_aw=1440&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&dmc=4&adx=142&ady=2310&biw=1423&bih=773&scr_x=0&scr_y=1000&eid=44759876%2C44759927%2C44759837%2C31086546%2C31086547%2C31086551%2C31086638%2C95338229%2C95341533%2C95341662%2C31086664%2C95340845%2C95341514%2C95341518&oid=2&pvsid=1526379796570403&tmod=1454033596&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fcitinewsroom.com%2F&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1440%2C0%2C1440%2C860%2C1440%2C773&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&bz=1&td=1&tdf=2&psd=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDNd&nt=1&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=2&fsb=1&dtd=740
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.
