Court grants NDC candidates substituted service in election petitions

Two High Courts in Kumasi have granted requests for substituted service made by three National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidates who are challenging the re-collation and re-declaration of results in the Obuasi East, Ahafo Ano South West, and Ahafo Ano North constituencies.

The petitioners—Kwasi Adusei (Ahafo Ano North), Saddick Abubakar (Ahafo Ano South West), and Aboagye Samuel (Obuasi East)—have filed petitions disputing the Electoral Commission’s handling of the 2024 general election results. They also submitted ex-parte motions seeking injunctions to prevent any further actions regarding the contested results.

However, the petitioners encountered challenges in serving the respondents, which include the incumbent Members of Parliament, the Electoral Commission, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Clerk of Parliament.

In response, they requested the court’s permission to notify the respondents through alternative methods. The courts granted this request, allowing the petitioners to serve the respondents via substituted service.

The petitioners from Obuasi East and Ahafo Ano South West have been instructed to post the court documents on the respondents’ notice boards within 10 days, while the petitioner from Ahafo Ano North has seven days to do so.

The cases have been adjourned to February 19, 2025.

After the proceedings, the petitioners’ lawyer, Evans Amankwah, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision and remained hopeful about the next steps in the legal process.