The High Court in Tamale presided over by His Lordship, Justice Richard Kogyapwa, is expected to conclude on Case Management Conference in the ongoing Walewale NPP parliamentary primary dispute today Monday, August 19, 2024, and as well commence full trial.
The presiding Judge last Wednesday, August 14, announced that the case would be tried on a daily basis until the final determination is made. The Judge in the last sitting also directed the first defendant, Dr Kabiru Tia Mahama and his Lawyer to file a trial checklist and witness statements before the end of Friday, August 16.
The court said no attempt to delay the case will be entertained from any of the parties involved as the Chief Justice expects an expeditious trial before the Electoral Commission nomination process is closed for political parties to file their candidates for the upcoming general elections.
Addressing the media, Lawyer Sylvester Isang, Counsel for the plaintiff said he had already filed the pretrial checklist and witness statements in readiness of the full trial.
“…The Judge has ordered a day-to-day trial and we are optimistic that [all things being equal] maybe by the close of next week we should have been done with the trial” he stated.
He added, “The good thing is that the Judge understands there is no time on anyone’s side, so he has ordered them to file their witness statements and pretrial checklists.”
“I prayed for cost – the cost was to serve a signal that you don’t play with court orders [as I was clear], it’s like someone was engaging in delay tactics. The [very] Lawyer you brought who filed a motion kept on adjourning the motion until I prayed for the motion to be granted [came back] into the matter and instead of praying for time to file the witness statement, he was rather praying for time to be appointed as Lawyer for the first defendant” Lawyer Isang asserted.
Meanwhile, the first defendant’s Lawyer, Samson Lardy Anyenini, in an interview said his client is only a victim of an electoral process that was organized by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Electoral Commission.
“The bottom line is that elections were organized by the NPP, conducted and supervised by the electoral commission for a number of candidates. This number of candidates at the end, one person won and that is my client; one party said the process wasn’t fair, the process had some irregularities so the person sued my client, the NPP and the EC.”
He added: “In actual fact, the main parties in this case are those who organized the elections – my client just like all the other candidates simply participated but he was declared winner so he has to protect his interest and that is why he is here”.
