An Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Eaash, has ordered the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to hold parliamentary primary in the Kwesimintsim Constituency of the Western region after it upheld the position of one of the contestants, Joseph Mensah that he was unjustifiably disqualified from the primary that involved the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Joe Baidoe-Ansah.
The court therefore directed the party to allow Mr Mensah to take part in the primary and any other future elections in the constituency because his disqualification was against the tenets of the constitution.
The court’s ruling yesterday for the holding of fresh primary in the Kwesimintsim Constituency comes just a week before the filing of nominations on September 30 which means that the primary could be held by Wednesday, September 28 to enable the winner file his nomination.
The Vetting Committee of the constituency disqualified Mr Mensah on the basis that he was not a member of the party in the constituency and that his party ID cards were fake.
It also disqualified him on the basis that he was also a former cadre who worked with the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under former President Jerry John Rawlings and that he was also working in the interest of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He appealed against the decision of the Vetting Committee of the constituency at the national Appeals Committee, which also upheld his disqualification, forcing him to take the matter to court.
The case has been running for the past one and half years.
The steering committee of the party was said to have advised that the primary be held but the incumbent MP, Joe Baidoe-Ansah declared that once the party had disqualified Mr Mensah, he remained the only candidate to be acclaimed as the party’s parliamentary candidate.
An elated Joseph Menash, who was accompanied by a few supporters, told the media that he was satisfied with the court’s ruling, adding that all the allegations leveled against him were completely false.
On his part, Mr Baidoe-Ansah, who was also in the company of some of his supporters, said he had accepted the ruling of the court and was prepared to contest in the primary.
He expressed optimism that the delegates, who have worked with him for some time now and know his achievements for the party, would elect him again.
The lawyer, who represented the NPP in court, said as a law-abiding party, it would act in accordance with the ruling of the court.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr