The Electoral Commission (EC) has disqualified Joana Cudjoe from participating in the upcoming elections as a candidate for the parliamentary seat in the Amenfi Central constituency of the Western Region.
This decision was made in response to a petition submitted to the EC, claiming that there is a pending court order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Commission from recognizing Mrs. Cudjoe as the Parliamentary Candidate of the party. The court order states that until the matter is finally determined, Mrs. Cudjoe is restrained from holding herself out as the duly elected NDC Parliamentary candidate for the Amenfi Central Constituency.
The EC’s Deputy Chairman of Operations, Samuel Tettey, conveyed this information in a letter, citing an Order for Interlocutory Injunction dated 31st May, 2024, from the High Court, Sekondi, in a suit entitled Gyedu Frimpong & 4 Others Vrs Joana Gyan Cudjoe, the National Democratic Congress & the Electoral Commission (Suit No. E12/36/24).
The petitioners raised concerns about the authenticity of the candidate’s voter identification. This issue arose after Joana Gyan Cudjoe successfully filed her nomination forms, despite the annulment of the primaries conducted earlier this year. The annulment was due to the subject of litigation at the High Court in Sekondi, leading to the party nullifying her nomination at the national level.
However, in a new primary, the candidate was re-elected by popular acclamation.
In a letter dated October 16, the EC explained that the court order “has neither been stayed nor vacated, hence the Commission is bound by the same.”
