SEYIRE vs. ANEMANA [1971]DLCA2163

Date	1971-01-25
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1971]DLCA2163

AZU CRABBE JA

AMISSAH JA

ANIN J.A.

E. O. APPIAH FOR THE APPELLANT.

S. A. OKUDZETO FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1971]DLCA2163
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SEYIRE<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;vs. <o:p></o:p>ANEMANA <o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[1971] 2 GLR 32<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DATE:
25 JANUARY 1971.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

E. O. APPIAH FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

S. A. OKUDZETO FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

AZU CRABBE, AMISSAH AND ANIN JJ.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF AZU CRABBE J.A.<o:p></o:p>This
appeal arises from the ruling of Koranteng-Addow J. at the High Court, Tamale,
upon a preliminary issue in an election petition filed by the
petitioner-respondent (hereinafter referred to as the petitioner) against the
respondent-appellant (hereinafter referred to as the respondent).<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts
of this case are very simple and undisputed. The petitioner, who was the losing
candidate in the last general election held at the Navrongo constituency on 29
August 1969, filed an election petition in the High Court, Tamale, against the
respondent on 10 October 1969. This petition was filed without any deposit for
the security for costs. Later the same day, however, the solicitor for the
petitioner, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, called the registrar of the High Court, Tamale
(Mr. J. J. Clement), by telephone from Accra and told him that he intended to
send by telegraphic transfer money as security for costs in the election
petition which he had caused to be filed on the petitioner’s behalf. The
solicitor further told him that the bank would in due course advise him about
this payment. The registrar did not appear to have raised any objections to the
procedure which the petitioner’s solicitor proposed to follow. Some time, still
later on the same day, i.e. 10 October 1969, the petitioner’s solicitor again
called the registrar from Accra and informed him that he had in fact
transferred the money. The accountant of the Ghana Commercial Bank, Tamale,
gave evidence and said that on 10 October 1969, an amount of N¢400.00 was
transferred from Accra to the bank in favour of the registrar of the High
Court, Tamale. A cheque dated 11 October 1969 for the amount of N¢400.00 was
written in favour of the registrar, but this cheque was actually paid to the
registrar across the counter of the bank on 15 October 1969, and was credited
to the account of the registrar, High Court, Tamale, at the bank on the same
date. Accordingly, the registrar, on the same day, issued two separate receipts:
one for the sum of N¢200.00 in respect of this petition and another for the same
amount in respect of a different petition.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
Gazette notice, containing the results of the general election to the National
Assembly held on 29 August 1969, was published on 19 September 1969, and in
paragraph (1) of the answer to the petition the respondent alleged as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“The
respondent says the purported petition of the petitioner is not valid by virtue
of the joint effect of paragraphs 29 and 30 of the Representation of the People
Decree, 1968 (N.L.C.D. 255), in that petitioner did not give security within 21
days after the publication in the Gazette of the results of the elections to
which the petition purports to relate.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Paragraph
29 of the Representation of the People Decree, 1968 (N.L.C.D. 255), reads:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“29. The
presentation of an election petition shall not be valid unless within the time
limited by the provisions of paragraph 30 of this Decree for the presentation
of the petition the person seeking to present the same gives security for costs
amounting to two hundred new cedis.”<o:p></o:p>And the
relevant provisions of paragraph 30 also read:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">