THE REPUBLIC vs. THE HIGH COURT, GENERAL JURISDICTION 6, ACCRA EX-PARTE DR. ZANETOR A. RAWLINGS [2016]DLHC17292

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE HIGH COURT, GENERAL JURISDICTION 6, ACCRA EX-PARTE DR. ZANE... [2016]DLHC17292

Date	2016-07-18
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION No. J5/19/2016
Citation No.	[2016]DLHC17292

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING)

ANIN YEBOAH JSC

BENIN JSC

APPAU JSC

PWAMANG JSC

GODWIN KODZO TAMEKLO ESQ

MRS SANJA MORRISON MAHAMA

THEOPHILUS DONKOR

REINDORF TWUMASI ANKRAH

GARY NIMAKO MARFO ESQ.

MAAME SANA BARTON - ODURO ESQ.

[2016]DLHC17292
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk154138250"></a><a name="_Hlk152146143"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">(PETITIONER)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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">THE HIGH COURT,<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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">GENERAL JURISDICTION 6,
ACCRA EX-PARTE DR. ZANETOR A. RAWLINGS<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">(RESPONDENT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:
10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">[HIGH
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;">&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">CIVIL MOTION No. J5/19/2016&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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
&nbsp;JULY 2016&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;"><o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>GODWIN KODZO TAMEKLO ESQ WITH HIM MRS SANJA MORRISON
MAHAMA, THEOPHILUS DONKOR AND REINDORF TWUMASI ANKRAH FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p>GARY NIMAKO MARFO ESQ.&nbsp;
FOR THE 1ST INTERESTED PARTY.<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;">

MAAME SANA BARTON - ODURO ESQ.&nbsp; FOR THE&nbsp;
2ND INTERESTED PARTY<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">CORAM <o:p></o:p>ATUGUBA JSC
(PRESIDING)<o:p></o:p>ANIN YEBOAH JSC<o:p></o:p>BENIN JSC<o:p></o:p>APPAU JSC<o:p></o:p>PWAMANG JSC<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:
solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;
mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>MAJORITY
OPINION<o:p></o:p>BENIN, JSC: -<o:p></o:p>The original matter that brought the parties
herein before this court was an application invoking our supervisory
jurisdiction for an order of certiorari to quash some decisions of the High
Court, Accra. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korle
constituency, who is the 1st&nbsp;interested party&nbsp;herein,&nbsp;lost
the opportunity to contest for the seat again on the ticket of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 general elections because he was defeated
in the party primaries by the applicant herein. The 1st&nbsp;interested
party took an action at the High Court to nullify the election of the applicant
on ground that she was not a registered voter when she took part in the party
primaries and was thus unqualified. During the pendency of the action before
the High Court, certain decisions were taken by the said court which the
applicant brought before this court to quash. Hence the title to the case as
stated above. It was when the court was deciding that application that it
concluded that a question of interpretation of Article 94(1)(a) of the 1992
Constitution had arisen from the proceedings before the High Court. The court
decided to take the issue suo motu since the High Court had failed to make the
reference. The question raised by the court for interpretation is this:<o:p></o:p>When can it be properly said that a Ghanaian
citizen is by reason of non-registration as a voter not qualified to be a
Member of Parliament within article 94(1)(a)&nbsp;of the 1992
Constitution of Ghana?<o:p></o:p>The question invites the court to interpret
this provision in order to bring out clearly the scope and intent of this
particular provision of the Constitution, in particular when the eligibility
criteria become applicable to a parliamentary election. All the parties have
proffered what </main>