Metro TV boss dragged to court over eligibility

The candidature of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for Bawku Central, Mr Haruna Alhassan, is being challenged by two residents of Bawku at the Supreme Court.

The Plaintiffs, Mr Bukari Yabodo and Ms Zidabu Musah, all residents of Bawku in the Upper East Region, on Tuesday filed a writ in the Supreme Court of Ghana against Mr Haruna Alhassan, Deputy Managing Director of Metro TV and now aspiring Parliamentary Candidate for Bawku Central, The Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Attorney-General.

The relief being sought is that the 1st defendant does not hail from the Bawku Central Constituency and therefore ineligible under Article 94(1) (b) of the Constitution to contest as a parliamentary candidate in Bawku Central Constituency in the December 2012 parliamentary election.

The writ is therefore invoking the Original Jurisdiction Article 2(1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution Rule 45 (1) of the Supreme Court Rules 1996 (C.1.16).

The writ also sought a declaration to the effect that the Electoral Commission should be restrained from putting the 1st defendant up to contest as Parliamentary Candidate in the Bawku Central Constituency in the December 2012 parliamentary election.

The capacity in which the plaintiffs initiated their action is that both plaintiffs are Ghanaian residents in the Bawku Central Constituency with voter identification cards number 730000753 and 3550000768 respectively.