SUMAILIA BIEBIEL vs. ADAMU DARAMANI [2010]DLCA5230

Date	2010-03-18
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/84/2010
Citation No.	[2010]DLCA5230

AKAMBA JA - (PRESIDING)

MARFUL-SAU JA

HONYENUGA JA

MR. YONNY KULENDI FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

DR. RAYMOND ATUGUBA FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2010]DLCA5230
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SUMAILIA BIEBIEL<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ADAMU DARAMANI<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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">

SUIT NO. H1/84/2010&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;18TH
MARCH, 2010<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR.
YONNY KULENDI FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<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">

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>AKAMBA
JA - (PRESIDING), MARFUL-SAU JA, HONYENUGA JA<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;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>AKAMBA, J.A: I
had the privilege of a preview of the reasoned judgments of my two able and
respected brothers, Marful-Sau and Honyenuga, JJ.A. I agree with the reasoning
and conclusions arrived at. Short of repeating the very same arguments let me
state briefly that the sum total of the reliefs sought by the
Plaintiff/Respondent point to the nature of the action which is an election
petition and therefore ought to have been commenced by petition and not by
writ. I agree that the writ is incompetent in the very circumstance of this
suit and is set aside.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>(SGD)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>J. B. AKAMBA<o:p></o:p>(JUSTICE OF APPEAL)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>MARFUL-SAU, JA: This
appeal raises one fundamental issue, which is whether or not the claim of the
Plaintiff/Respondent in suit No.AHR 35/90 at the High Court (Fast Track
Division) is an election petition, or enforcement action? If it is an election
petition then on the authority of Yeboah
v. J.H.Mensah (1998-99) SCGLR 492, then the proper forum is the High Court.
On the other hand should the respondent claim be held to be an enforcement
action under article 2 of the 1992 constitution then the forum obviously ought
to be the Supreme Court. What then is the respondent claim before the court? The
respondent writ is endorsed with the following reliefs, namely:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
 justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo10">A declaration that
 the defendant is a holder of a British passport and therefore owes
 allegiance to a country other than Ghana and is therefore disqualified
 from holding the office of Member of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
 justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo10">An injunction against
 the defendant restraining him from holding himself out as a Member of
 Parliament and compelling him to vacate his seat in parliament.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
 justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo10">Costs.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
 justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo10">Any other reliefs as
 to this honourable court may deem meet.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
question is does these claims amount to an election petition? In addressing the
issue I must state that the Supreme Court has in a chain of decisions defined
what an election petition is. In the New
Patriotic Party v. National Democratic Congress
and others (2000) SCGLR 461 at page 472, Bamford-Addo JSC in answering the
question what constitute an election petition delivered as follows:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>‘’It
is any dispute as to the validity of a particular election which is raised on
an election petition and which is decided by a court having jurisdiction to
determine the same, namely the High Court as provided in section16(1)(2) of the
Repres</main>