NJONOLAH LINUS vs. THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PER THE NATIONAL CHAIRMAN THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS. [2014]DLHC8219

NJONOLAH LINUS vs. THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PER THE NATIONAL CHAIRMAN TH... [2014]DLHC8219

Date	2014-10-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO. C12/199/14
Citation No.	[2014]DLHC8219

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JACOB B. BOON

FELIX DATSOMOR FOR THE PLAINTIFF

SAMUEL M. CUDJOE AND NANA KWASI BOAITEY FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[2014]DLHC8219
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NJONOLAH LINUS<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE NATIONAL
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PER THE NATIONAL CHAIRMAN<o:p></o:p>THE NATIONAL
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS.<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, KUMASI]<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">

SUIT
NO. C12/199/14&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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:
27TH OCTOBER, 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>FELIX
DATSOMOR FOR THE PLAINTIFF<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="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
0cm;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SAMUEL
M. CUDJOE AND NANA KWASI BOAITEY FOR THE DEFENDANTS. <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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
0cm;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE JACOB B. BOON<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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
plaintiff/respondent, to be referred to hereafter as the plaintiff, described
himself as a card bearing member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in
the Amansie West Constituency and the Immediate Past President of the Tertiary
Education Institutions Network (TEIN), a student wing of the NDC. On 9th
September 2014 he issued a writ from the Registry of this Court against the
defendant/applicants, hereafter called the defendants, praying for several
reliefs touching on the tenure of office of the National Executive Committee
members of the NDC and guidelines the party published for the conduct of
election of its Executive Officers, amongst others. After securing a limited
injunction against the defendants it served the writ on them who caused
appearance to be entered on their behalf by a lawyer Samuel M. Cudjoe of Law
Trust Company in Accra. Simultaneously, the lawyer filed a motion to set aside
the writ of summons. The heading of the motion indicated that the lawyer was
invoking the inherent jurisdiction of the court to do so. The reasons for the
motion were clearly stated in paragraphs 3 to 8 of the affidavit in support of
the motion. For clarity in the ruling, I hereby reproduce hereunder the details
of the paragraphs:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>“3. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
I have been advised and I verily believe same to be true that all political
parties are body corporate.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>4. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
I am advised and verily believe same to be true that the National Democratic
Congress being a body corporate must sue and be sued in its name.<o:p></o:p>5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
the plaintiff erred by suing the National Democratic Congress per its National
Chairman.<o:p></o:p>6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
I am advised and verily believe same to the true that 2nd defendant
is not a legal entity and does not have capacity to sue or be sued and as such
is not a proper party to the suit.<o:p></o:p>7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
I am advised and verily believe same to be true that plaintiff erred in suing 1st
and 2nd defendants herein.<o:p></o:p>8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
in the circumstances I pray that the writ of summons be set aside on the
grounds that it is incompetent, misconceived and discloses no cause of action”.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Now, the
application was opposed by the plaintiff. In the affidavit in opposition he
described it as legally misconceived, incompetent and misplaced, in much the
same words used by defendants to describe the writ of summons. It may be
relevant to reproduce the appropriate portions of his affidavit as I did for
the plaintiff for their full force and effect. </main>