THE REPUBLIC vs. THE HIGH COURT JUDGE, SUNYANI (RESPONDENT) EX PARTE ALHAJI COLLIN DAUDA (APPLICANT) AND YIADOM BOAKYE BOATENG (INTERESTED PARTY) [2009]DLSC4491

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE HIGH COURT JUDGE, SUNYANI (RESPONDENT) EX PARTE ALHAJI COLL... [2009]DLSC4491

Date	2009-04-09
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/12/2009
Citation No.	[2009]DLSC4491

ATUGUBA J.S.C. (PRESIDING)

AKUFFO (MS) J.S.C.

DATE-BAH (DR) J.S.C.

OWUSU (MS) J.S.C.

B. BONNIE J.S.C.

SAMUEL CODJOE FOR THE APPLICANT WITH TONY LITHUR

JAMES QUASHIE – IDUN FOR ELECTORAL COMMISSION

SYLVIA ADUSU (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

NKRABEAH EFFAH-DARTEY FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY

[2009]DLSC4491
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE HIGH COURT JUDGE, SUNYANI<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>EX
PARTE ALHAJI COLLIN DAUDA (APPLICANT) AND YIADOM BOAKYE BOATENG (INTERESTED PARTY)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL MOTION NO.
J5/12/2009&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; 8TH
APRIL, 2009<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>SAMUEL
CODJOE FOR THE APPLICANT WITH TONY LITHUR<o:p></o:p>JAMES
QUASHIE – IDUN FOR ELECTORAL COMMISSION<o:p></o:p>SYLVIA
ADUSU (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL<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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>DR. DATE-BAH JSC:-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; UNANIMOUS &nbsp;RULING<o:p></o:p>This
case raises an important issue of jurisdiction in relation to election
petitions.&nbsp; It is this:&nbsp; does the High Court have jurisdiction to
entertain any election petition under the Representation of the People Law 1992
(PNDCL 284) before the Electoral Commission has declared the results of that
election?<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Before
we provide an answer to this question, let me set out the material facts of
this case.&nbsp; This is an application by
Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic
Congress for the Asutifi South Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region.&nbsp; The application seeks to invoke the
supervisory jurisdiction of this Court to quash, by an order of certiorari, the ruling of His Lordship
Justice Francis Kwabena Opoku of the Sunyani High Court, dated 6th
January 2009, and to prohibit the said learned judge from going on with the
suit number C11/01/09, intituled:&nbsp; The NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Yiadom
Boakye-Boateng&nbsp; v&nbsp; 1.&nbsp; The
Electoral Commissioner Per the Chairman Through the Regional Director, B/A
Region&nbsp; 2.The NDC Parliamentary
Candidate, Alhaji Collins Dauda&nbsp; 3. &nbsp;The District Electoral Officer, Asutifi
District.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
ruling complained of was made in a suit brought by Mr. Yiadom Boakye-Boateng,
the NPP Parliamentary candidate for the Asutifi South Constituency.&nbsp; He presented an election petition to the High
Court, Sunyani, on 16th December 2008, complaining that the election
results in his constituency had been tampered with and praying the court either
to discount two ballot boxes, whose post-ballot custody and transmission
arrangements to the collation centre, the petitioner maintained, left much to
be desired, and declare the winner, or to annul the entire Parliamentary
results of the constituency and order fresh Parliamentary elections. &nbsp;The petitioner on the same day as he filed his
original petition filed an amended petition which spells out the petitioner’s
prayer as:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>“(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of the Honourable Court declaring
that the circumstance under which the two (2) ballot boxes of Twabidi No. 1 and
2 went to Kenyasi No. 1 and their contents swapped respectively is/was illegal
and same is void.<o:p></o:p>