Koforidua High Court Orders Arrest of Akwatia MP for Contempt

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KEY POINTS

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• Koforidua High Court issues an arrest warrant for Akwatia MP.
• Kumi ignored a court injunction and proceeded with his swearing-in.
• The legal battle over the Akwatia election continues in court.

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A Koforidua High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Ernest Yaw Kumi, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Akwatia, after he defied a court order barring his swearing-in as a Member of Parliament.

The court, presided over by Justice Senyo Amedahe, ruled that Kumi’s absence from multiple contempt hearings had left the court with no choice but to issue his arrest warrant.

The ruling stems from an injunction issued on January 3, 2025, which temporarily blocked Kumi from being sworn in as MP due to a pending legal dispute over his election victory.

However, he went ahead with the swearing-in on January 7, ignoring the court’s directive.

Justice Amedahe emphasized that Kumi’s continued disregard for the court proceedings had left the judiciary with no other option but to enforce the rule of law.

Legal battle over Akwatia election results 

The dispute over Kumi’s election win began when Henry Boakye-Yiadom, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate and former MP, filed a lawsuit challenging the election results.

According to Graphic Online, Boakye-Yiadom claims that the Electoral Commission (EC) wrongly declared Kumi the winner with 19,269 votes to his 17,206 votes.

The lawsuit, which also names the EC and the Clerk to Parliament as respondents, argues that the election process was flawed and should be reviewed.

Lawyer Gary Nimako, who headed Kumi’s legal team sought the dismissal of the injunction based on procedural arguments, claiming that election petitions need MP-elects to be gazetted first.

However, the court retained the injunction while determining that election disputes become possible straight after election process completion.

The ruling was backed by Supreme Court precedents and reports from Ghana News Agency and Graphic Online, confirming that the EC had already gazetted 274 MPs-elect, including Kumi.

Political reactions and next steps

Kumi’s refusal to comply with the court’s ruling has sparked political controversy, with the NPP defending him and the NDC demanding strict enforcement of the law.

The court also rejected a letter from the Minority Caucus of Parliament, which argued that Kumi’s absence was due to parliamentary duties.

Justice Amedahe dismissed the claim, insisting that no one is above the law, and court orders must be obeyed.

Meanwhile, the police have been instructed to arrest Kumi and present him before the court.

The upcoming development will increase political tensions as the Akwatia seat legal dispute persists.

The legal community waits for judiciary decisions to settle the ongoing election controversy, which has reached unprecedented levels of conflict.