Court slaps GH¢4000 on NDC over Techiman South case

• The NDC and the NPP MP for Techiman South are in court over the 2020 polls

• The NDC is to pay a GH¢4000 fine

• This was reduced from GH¢7000 after the lawyers of the NDC argued against it

A GH¢4000 fine has been slapped on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by the case management conference of the Techiman South Parliamentary Election petition, by the Wenchi High Court.

Christopher Beyere Baasongti, who represented the NDC in the parliamentary elections of 2020 at the constituency, had sued the current Member of Parliament, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, and the Electoral Commission, praying it to quash the declaration of the MP as winner of the polls.

Listening to the case at the case management sitting on Tuesday, the court partially granted the petitioner’s motions for an amendment of his suit, on the grounds that “no proper collation” was done in the 2020 Techiman South Parliamentary elections as well as another relief, the portal reported.

But the petitioner, Christopher Beyere Baasongti, rather received a punitive cost of GH¢7,000.00 which was later reduced to GH¢4,000.00, following a series of legal arguments.

The court also said it was also for the delay in the court proceedings.

Peter Mac Manu, the 2020 election Campaign Manager for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who was also in the court, explained that the NDC is deliberately trying to delay the process of the court.

“The judge did not allow all the [NDC’s five] motions to fly. Rather, he gave them two [out of the five] to go and amend… They repeated some of the dismissed motions already ruled on, and because of that they were initially awarded a cost of GH¢7,000, and after several pleadings for review, the judge settled on GH¢4,000 against the petitioner.

“I think we’ve been moving on, but the NDC should stop the up and down, amendments and motions. This should be avoided as far as possible,” he said.

However, the NDC did not make any comments.

The case will be recalled on June 30, 2021, for further hearing.