NDC man cries foul over Apraku?s seat

Kumasi, Jan 4, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Appiah-Kubi, defeated National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Offinso North constituency in the 2004 elections, has expressed displeasure about the delay in the electoral petition he filed in January 2005 in a Kumasi High Court challenging the result which declared Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku of the NPP winner by the Electoral Commission (EC).

He said since he filed the writ, the case had been adjourned five times and in all these no judge appeared in court and that this situation makes him believe that there was "something wrong somewhere" about the case.

Addressing a press conference in Kumasi on the case on Wednesday, Mr Appiah-Kubi cited a similar case in 1996 at Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra in which Mr Isaac Amoo, then NPP parliamentary candidate challenged the result, which declared Mrs Rebecca Adotey, the NDC candidate winner.

Mr Appiah-Kubi said judgement in that case was given four years later and therefore called on Parliament, the Judiciary and other law making bodies to come out with laws that will ensure that legal matters concerning the election of public officials are addressed within the shortest possible time.
He also called on the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and other institutions working for the development of multi-party democracy to monitor election results that go to court and come out with appropriate recommendations that will help deepen democracy in the country.

"This is because parliament is an important arm of government and legal disputes concerning a body like this should be prioritised in our courts".
Mr Appiah-Kubi said with the results of the Mion constituency in the Northern region nullified, the country must anticipate that more election results were going to end up in court in subsequent elections.