Abraham Amaliba, the Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has confirmed that the party has received the injunction application filed by Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, a presidential aspirant, against the upcoming primaries. The court has scheduled the hearing for May 15, which is two days after the internal elections were supposed to take place. However, the NDC is making efforts to have the hearing before May 13, the scheduled date for the primaries.
Amaliba stated during an interview on the Sunrise show on 3FM on Wednesday, May 10, “Yes, I can confirm to you that as of 5:30 yesterday, we were served with the writ, including the application for an injunction.
The application for an injunction has been fixed for hearing on the 15th of May, which means that it is beyond the 13th, which is the day for our primaries. However, as lawyers, we are trying to use the legal processes available to us to ensure that this application is heard before the 15th.”
Also Read: NDC’s Press Conference was “pointless” because they see Galamsey as an avenue for vote – NPP
Dr. Duffuor filed the injunction application at the High Court on Tuesday, May 9, seeking to halt the primaries due to concerns about the electoral album. According to portions of the application, “The plaintiff avers that the partial delivery of the Photo Album to his representatives on 4th May 2023 was in itself out of time considering the magnitude of the verification exercise required of them before the internal elections of 13th May 2023.” Earlier, Dr. Duffuor’s campaign team had requested the postponement of the May 13 Presidential Primaries, citing flaws in the register.
The campaign team sent a petition to the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC), and the Elections Committee of the NDC on Monday, May 8. The petition, signed by Kofi Kukubor, the Head of Research and Strategy for Dr. Duffuor’s campaign team, highlighted discrepancies in the voters’ register or photo album for 220 constituencies, which they claimed rendered the register incomplete or inaccurate. They demanded the following actions:
1) Postponement of the May 13th Presidential Primaries,
2) Stakeholders meeting to establish a roadmap ensuring the integrity of the voters’ register,
3) Cleaning the register within an agreeable timeframe for a free and fair election, and
4) Maintaining the NDC’s credibility in national election matters.
Dr. Duffuor emphasized the importance of free, fair, and transparent primaries to ensure unity after the elections. He expressed concern over the inaccessibility of the final compiled register just a week before the polls and supported his campaign team’s petition to the Electoral Commission.
Also Read:NDC wrote to the Council of State over two new EC appointees
While urging his supporters to remain calm and peaceful to foster unity within the NDC after the election, Dr. Duffuor called for adherence to proper procedures and access to the register to ensure a fair and peaceful voting process.
Dr. Duffuor is competing in the Presidential Primaries against former President John Mahama and former Mayor of Kumasi Kojo Bonsu. The NDC is striving to have the court hearing take place before the scheduled primaries on May 13, either today, tomorrow, or Friday.
