A High Court order directed at the Western Regional House of Chiefs (WRHC) and the Electoral Commission Director in the Western Region to take steps to organise a fresh election for the position of its president may not be complied with.
The Court, presided over by Justice Cynthia Wiredu, on February 23, 2021, ordered the WRHC and the Electoral Commission (both 1st and 2nd respondents) to organise a fresh election within ten working days from the date of the order. The order came after the court nullified an earlier election held by the House on October 6, 2020 that elected Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim II, Omanhene of Wassa Akropong, as president of the house.
The ten working days, which the court gave for organisation of fresh election, end today (Tuesday 10th March, 2020), but it appears there would be no election. This is because no notices had been served the members who make up the house to report for the conduct of the election.
The court, in its ruling, said the October 6, 2020 election was a nullity and that a fresh election should be organised within ten working days from the date of order. This was after acertiorari under order 55 of the High Court civil procedure was filed before the court with Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III, Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema, as an interested party.
The case was entitled the Republic vrs The Registrar (1st respondent), the Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (2nd Respondent), and Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim, Omanhene of Wassa Akropong, as third respondent.
DRAMA
On October 6, 2020, before the election of the WRHC president, drama unfolded in the house. The Eastern Nzema Omanhene, Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III who had served as Vice President of the House for four years decided to contest the presidency but a motion for injunction challenging the use of the stool name ‘Amihere Kpanyile’ was a subject of contention. Indeed, the Registrar of the House announced to members that the said motion restrained the Eastern Nzema Omanhene from contesting the election.
Amihere Kpanyile himself was not served with the injunction notice but before members of the House could convene to take a decision on the said motion for injunction, the election had been conducted by the Electoral Commission.
The House has 11 members but only five members cast their ballots and out of the five, Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim who was the only candidate secured four votes and was consequently announced as the newly elected president of the House. Unsatisfied by the turn of event, the Eastern Nzema Omanhene filed a certiorari application for judicial review challenging the election that saw Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim elected as president.
COURT ORDER
Giving her ruling on the matter, Justice Cynthia Wiredu ordered the EC to conduct a fresh election permitting all the candidates who had opted to contest the October 6 election.
She wrote: “Whereas this case is before this court pending determination for an order of certiorari in the nature of an application for judicial review against, the respondents and the matter having been determined for a ruling on the 23rd February 2021, I hereby ordered that a certiorari order to quash the results declared by the Electoral Commission at the Western Region House of Chiefs, Sekondi, dated the 6th of October 2020 be issued, and it is hereby issued.”
The court further ordered that the election should be conducted within ten working days from the date of the ruling.
The post Court Orders Re-Run Of House Of Chiefs Election appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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