The Wenchi High Court has slapped both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) with cost charges amounting to GHS 1,500 in the ongoing Techiman South election petition case.
This was after the court at its sitting on Thursday granted the petitioner’s application for direction but declined the petitioner’s motion to amend his suit, including changing the title and adding other reliefs.
Both the NDC and the NPP were slapped with varying cost charges.
A fine of GHS 1,000 was slapped on the 1st respondent, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah of the NPP, for raising an objection against the petitioner’s application for direction in the previous sitting, which the court found to be without any legal basis.
The NPP was also elated after a fine of GHS 500 was slapped on the petitioner, Dr. Christopher Beyere Baasongti of the NDC.
Speaking to Citi News, Richard Asamoah, General Secretary for the Techiman South NPP questioned the petitioner’s intent to change the title of his suit.
“Today, the NDC has admitted that there was collation in Techiman South, but it wasn’t proper, so the court should amend it for them. But why did they come to court? They came because they said there was no collation”, he fumed.
Meanwhile, sitting on the Techiman South parliamentary election petition has been adjourned to the 11th of May 2021.
Last week, the Electoral Commission (EC) provided the original pink sheets on the 2020 parliamentary elections held in the constituency to the NDC parliamentary candidate for inspection.
It was in compliance with a court order.
The court had ruled that the original documents should be presented to Beyere for inspection but according to him, the EC provided photocopies instead.
The court, therefore, awarded a cost of GHS2,000 in favour of the petitioner, Christopher Beyere, due to the EC’s failure to properly produce the documents as directed by the court.
Christopher Beyere Baasongti sued the Member of Parliament for the area, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, the Electoral Commission and the Clerk of Parliament.
In his suit filed at the High Court in Wenchi, he wants the declaration of Mr. Adjei-Mensah Korsahof the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the winner of the Techniman South parliamentary elections to be quashed.
He also wants the Electoral Commission to be compelled to collate polling station results in the constituency in the presence of the representatives of the candidates.
Again, he wants the court to order the EC to declare him as winner of the elections.
