SUMAILIA BIEBIEL (PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT) vs. ADAMU DARAMANI (DEFENDANT/APPELLANT) [2010]DLCA7864

Date	2010-03-18
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. HI/84/2010
Citation No.	[2010]DLCA7864

J. B. AKAMBA J.A. (PRESIDING)

S. K. MARFUL-SAU J.A.

C. J. HONYENUGA J.A.

MR. ROBERT KINGSLEY YEBOAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

MR. K. PEASAH BOADU FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2010]DLCA7864
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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><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">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:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL
APPEAL NO. HI/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;DATE: 18TH
MARCH, 2010<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR.
ROBERT KINGSLEY YEBOAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MR.
K. PEASAH BOADU FOR THE DEFENDANT/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:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

J.
B. AKAMBA J.A. (PRESIDING), S. K. MARFUL-SAU J.A., C. J. HONYENUGA J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</div>HONYENUGA J.A.<o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal from the Ruling of the High Court, Fast Track Division, Accra,
dated the 23rd day of June 2009.&nbsp;
This appeal raises one main critical issue for consideration that is
whether or not the reliefs claimed by the plaintiff/respondent is an election
petition or an enforcement action under the 1992 Constitution?<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
Defendant/Appellant is the Sitting Member of Parliament of the Bawku Central
Constituency who was declared the winner of the parliamentary elections held in
the Bawku Central Constituency on the 7th day of December 2008.&nbsp; He was also sworn into office on the 7th
day of January 2009 as the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central.&nbsp; The plaintiff/respondent who described
himself as a citizen of Ghana, a registered voter in the parliamentary
elections, a cattle dealer who hails from, resides and works in Bawku in the
Upper East Region of Ghana.&nbsp; The
plaintiff/respondent alleges that the defendant/appellant is not qualified to
contest for or hold the office of Member of Parliament on stated grounds.&nbsp; Being aggrieved, he instituted action on the
9th day of February 2009 against the defendant/appellant claiming as
follows:-<o:p></o:p>“1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 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>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 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>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Costs.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Any
other reliefs as to this honourable Court may deem feet”.<o:p></o:p>Being
dissatisfied by the Ruling of the learned trial judge, the defendant/appellant
filed the instant appeal on the 2nd day of June 2009 on the
following grounds:-<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial judge erred in law when he ruled that the plaintiff/respondent has
capacity to initiate the action against the defendant/appellant in the High
Court.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial judge erred when he ruled that the High Court is seised with jurisdiction
to hear the plaintiff/respondent’s action.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
the trial judge erred in law when he failed to appreciate the
defendant/appellant’s contention that plaintiff/respondent’s action as
initiated in the High Court is an election petition clothe as one, for
enforcement of a constitutional provision.<o:p></o:p>