THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, HO EX-PARTE: ATTORNEY-GENERA, PROF. MARGARET KWEKU AND 4 ORS [2021]DLSC10070

THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, HO EX-PARTE: ATTORNEY-GENERA, PROF. MARGARET KWEKU... [2021]DLSC10070

Date	2021-01-05
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/21/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLSC10070

APPAU JSC (PRESIDING)

MARFUL-SAU JSC

TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC

HONYENUGA JSC

AMADU JSC

GODFRED YEBOAH-DAME (DEPUTY ATTORNEY-GENERAL) WITH HIM MRS. VERONICA ADIGBO (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) AND (MS. YVONNE BANNERMAN) FOR THE APPLICANT

TSATSU TSIKATA WITH HIM EMILE ATSU AGBAKPE FOR THE INTERESTED PARTIES/RESPONDENTS

[2021]DLSC10070
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HIGH COURT, HO<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE: ATTORNEY-GENERA, PROF.
MARGARET KWEKU AND 4 ORS<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/ APPLICANT/ INTERESTED PARTIES)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, 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;">

<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">CIVIL
MOTION NO. J5/21/2021&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:
5TH JANUARY, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>GODFRED YEBOAH-DAME (DEPUTY ATTORNEY-GENERAL) WITH HIM MRS. VERONICA
ADIGBO (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) AND (MS. YVONNE BANNERMAN) FOR THE APPLICANT.<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;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">TSATSU TSIKATA WITH HIM EMILE ATSU AGBAKPE FOR THE
INTERESTED PARTIES/RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>APPAU JSC (PRESIDING), MARFUL-SAU JSC, TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC, HONYENUGA
JSC, AMADU JSC<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="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;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>&nbsp;<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">APPAU,
JSC<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:
Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">:- <o:p></o:p>On the 23rd day of December, 2020, one
Professor Margaret Kweku who was the parliamentary candidate of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) Party in the Hohoe Constituency of the Volta Region
and four (4) others, namely; Simon Alan Opoku-Mintah, John Kwame Obimpeh,
Godfried Koku Kofie and Felix Quarshie who claimed to be registered voters in
the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi traditional areas in the Oti Region
(hereinafter referred to as SALL Areas), initiated an action in the High Court,
Ho by Originating Motion on Notice, praying for certain reliefs against the
Electoral Commission as 1st respondent and three others. The three
others are; Wisdom Kofi Akpakli (the Returning Officer for Hohoe Constituency,
as 2nd respondent), John Peter Amewu (the NPP M.P. Elect for Hohoe
Constituency, as 3rd respondent) and the Attorney-General, as the 4th
respondent.&nbsp; Per their motion paper, the
action of the applicants in the trial High Court, was premised on article 33
(1) of the Constitution, 1992; Order 67 of the High Court Civil Procedure
Rules, 2004 [C.I. 47] and the Inherent Jurisdiction of the High Court.<o:p></o:p>Article 33 (1) and Order 67, rule 1 of C.I. 47
provide:<o:p></o:p>“Article 33
(1): Where a person alleges that a
provision of this constitution on the fundamental human rights and freedoms has
been, or is being or is likely to be contravened in relation to him, then,
without prejudice to any other action that is lawfully available, that person
may apply to the High Court for redress.<o:p></o:p>Order 67
rule 1 of C.I. 47: A person who seeks
redress in respect of the enforcement of any fundamental human right in
relation to the person under article 33 (1) of the Constitution shall submit an
application to the High Court.”<o:p></o:p>In their application, the applicants were seeking
six (6) declarations, an order of mandamus and three (3) restraining orders.
These are: <o:p></o:p>1.<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the decision of the 1st
respondent, implemented by the 2nd respondent, preventing and
excluding the 2nd to 5th applicants and other registered
voters in the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi traditional areas from
voting for a parliamentary candidate in the Hohoe&nbsp; Constituency, denied the said voters their
fundamental right to vote, to democratic participation and specifically, to be
represented in Parliament;<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the eleventh hour decision of
the 1st respondent, implemented by the 2nd respondent,
preventing the holding of Parliamentary elections in the Santrokofi, Akpafu,
Likpe and Lolobi traditional areas from voting for a parliamentary candidate in
the Hohoe Constituency was arbitrary and capricious and without recourse to due
pro</main>