SUMAILA BIEBIEL vs. ADAMU DARAMANI [2010]DLCA9928

Date	2010-03-10
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.HI/84/2010
Citation No.	[2010]DLCA9928

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]DLCA9928
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SUMAILA BIEBIEL<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ADAMU DARAMANI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

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;&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="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm;">

MR. K.
PEASAH BOADU FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>J. B. AKAMBA J.A. (PRESIDING),S. K. MARFUL-SAU J.A.,
C. J. HONYENUGA J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>HONYENUGA J.A.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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>d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;