NPP Sets Sept 8 To Re-run Walewale Parliamentary primary Over Court Ruling

Following the Tamale High Court rulling that annulled the election of a special advisor to the Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, Dr Mahama Tia Kabiru as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Walewale, the party has announced timelines for the re-run of the parliamentary primary.

A statement signed by the Party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, on Monday, September 2, confirmed stated that nominations will be open from September 2 to September 5, 2024.

The election is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 8.

Aspiring candidates are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of GHC 3,000 and a filing fee of GHC 35,000.

However, women, youth, and persons with disabilities will receive a 50% discount on the filing fee.

Additionally, candidates who participated in the initial primary are exempt from paying these fees.

The Party has also established an Election Committee, chaired by Alhaji Haruna Mohammed, to oversee the re-run of the election.

Earlier this year in January, the 35-year-old Dr. Kabiru, edged out Hajia Lariba the incumbent Member of Parliament in a closely fought primary.

The election, which took place under stringent security measures and was attended by regional and constituency executives, resulted in a victory for Dr. Kabiru with 345 votes, compared to the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Hajia Lariba Zuweratu’s 338 votes.

Hajia Lariba promptly disputed the election results and lodged an ex parte motion at the Tamale High Court, accusing the party, Dr Kabiru, and the Electoral Commission of electoral irregularities and misconduct.

In the primary, two other candidates, Tahiru Sham-Una and Jangdoo Mahama, received 145 and 1 vote, respectively. Initially, the NPP, as a third defendant, sought to have the case dismissed, alleging that Hajia Lariba had breached the party’s constitution by not utilising internal conflict resolution mechanisms before resorting to the court.

Prior to this ruling, NPP supporters in the Walewale constituency held a press conference calling for the intervention of the party’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to settle the dispute.

They cautioned that if the issue is not resolved swiftly, it could potentially harm the party’s prospects in the forthcoming general elections.

Meanwhile, the High Court in March granted pleas by the NPP to settle the dispute out-of-court.

In a previous session on March 15, the party had asked the court to dismiss the case, but the court refused and fined the party GH¢8000.