Tamale high court places injunction on NDC Bunkrugu Parliamentary primaries

A Tamale high court presided over by his lordship Charles Gyamfi –Danquah has formally granted an indefinite injunction plea brought before it by the disqualified NDC Aspirant Nanburi Derrick.

The petitioner asked the court to prevent the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) from holding parliamentary primary in the Bukpurugu constituency of the Northern Region until his illegal disqualification had been over turned.

The Aspirant, who is a former member of parliament for the area was alleged to have been disqualified for joining the Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings led National Democratic Party (NDP).

As a result, the National Executive Committee (NEC) dropped his name from the list of qualified aspirants seeking to lead the constituency on the ticket of the NDC in 2016.

The indefinite injunction means the NDC cannot hold primaries in the Bunkrugu constituency until the court decides otherwise.

The Bunkpurugu Constituency remains the only constituency in the northern region yet to conduct its primary to select a parliamentary candidate for the 2016 elections because of a long-standing legal tussle.

In his ruling, the trial judge indicated that the NDC failed to follow laid down rules in disqualifying the candidate and therefore advised both parties to come to a compromise in order to allow for the elections to be conducted.

Meanwhile Sulley Sambian counsel of the disqualified candidate maintains that his client was wrongfully disqualified from contesting in the primary, indicating that it constituted an infringement on his fundamental human rights.

According to him, the Northern Regional Secretariat of the NDC and the Electoral Commission (EC) have both been served with the injunction and could be cited for contempt if they go ahead to conduct primaries in the constituency.

Campaign coordinator of the disqualified aspirant Linlaar Kantam emphasized "we are very grateful that at the end of the day justice and rule of law has prevailed and that we are ready for the elections. At the end of the day we know victory shall be ours in Bunkrugu."

The Northern Region Director of Elections for the NDC Tanko Rashid in a reaction to the injunction said the party will open up a defense soon.

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