Tamale High Court orders re-run of NPP Walewale parliamentary primaries

The Tamale High Court has declared the elections of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary primaries results in the Walewale Constituency of the North East Region as null and void.

The court presided over by Justice Richard Kogyapwah therefore, ordered a re-run of the primaries in the constituency.

According to Justice Kogyapwah the full judgment would be read on September 12, 2024.

The court ordered yesterday that the party must go back to organise fresh primaries for the constituency to save the situation.

Counsel of the applicant, Lawyer Sylvester Isang, briefing the media after the court proceedings said that it was sad that Walewale Constituency primaries had to take them to this far.

“You know it is the hometown of the NPP flagbearer and they could have handpicked someone to be the parliamentary candidate for the area, I believe that at this moment the party can even disregard what happens in court today,” he stated.

He said the party had the constitutional mandate to re-open nominations and even disregard the two candidates and invite other people willing to get the candidature for the Walwale Constituency.

He said no one could celebrate because it was too sad that they had gotten to this end.

The Electoral Commission (EC), it is recalled, on January 27, 2024 declared Dr Kabiru Tia Mahama as the Walewale NPP candidate elect after he had 345 votes against Hajia Lariba Abudu Zuweira with 338 votes.

Hajia Lariba Zuwera Abudu, the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) and the former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, filed an injunction in court to restrain the elected candidate for the constituency, Dr Kabiru Tia Mahama from holding himself as candidate-elect for the constituency.

The other two contenders were Tahiru Sham-una and Jangdow Mahama who had 145 and one votes respectively.

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.

In June 2024, the Tamale High Court placed an injunction on Dr Mahama Tia Kabiru restraining him from holding himself as the elected parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party for the Walewale Constituency in the North East Region.

The ruling by Justice Richard Kugyapaw, followed a challenge to the election results by the incumbent Member of Parliament, Hajia Lariba Zuweratu.

In January this year, Dr Kabiru, a 35-year-old PhD holder and Vice Presidential special advisor, narrowly defeated Hajia Lariba in a tightly contested primary

FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE