The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has filed a suit at an Accra High Court citing the Chairperson of Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Charlotte Osei, for contempt.
According to the writ, Mrs. Osei receiving the banker’s draft of the party despite an interlocutory injunction, was disrespectful to the orders of the court.
The application is praying the court to commit defying the notice on motion of an order of interlocutory injunction pending before the court.
The injunctive order is due to be moved on Tuesday, October 11.
The Policy Advisor of the party, Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, told The Ghanaian Times that they had not been able to serve her at the time of going to press.
It would be recalled that the EC suspended the collection of filing fees from the presidential and parliamentary aspirants due to the legal contention over the amount.
On September 29, the Chairperson of the commission, Mrs. Osei, told aspirants who presented their nomination forms at the EC head office to hold on to their monies until further notice.
“We want you to hold to the amount for now. We shall invite you when we get clearance from our lawyers,” she told the aspirants as she received their nomination forms.
As a result, the aspirants who were supposed to pay the filing fees upon submitting their nomination forms, left without paying anything, although some were ready to pay in full.
However, on September 30, the EC in a surprising move, collected the filing fee of the PPP although it had suspended the fees due to a pending suit filed by the party.
PaaThe PPP, took the legal action after it expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s decision to increase the amount from GH¢5,000 and GH¢1,000 for presidential and parliamentary slots respectively, in the 2012 general elections.
The PPP, among other things, is seeking a declaration that “the filing fees is arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” adding that Regulation 45 of C.I 94 was discriminatory.
It contends in its suit that “the entire C.I94 does not contain the appropriate relevant provisions that meet the intendment of Article 296 of the 1992 Constitution.”
The EC is demanding GH¢50,000 from candidates interested in the position of president, while parliamentary aspirants are to pay GH¢10,000.
In the 2012 elections, candidates who contested for the presidential position paid GH¢5,000 while parliamentary aspirants paid GH¢1,000.
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