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The Supreme Court has scheduled April 30 to deliver its ruling on an application filed by Akwatia MP Ernest Kumi, who is seeking to overturn an interim injunction that barred his swearing-in on January 6.
Despite the injunction, Kumi went ahead with the swearing-in ceremony, prompting the High Court to charge him with contempt. In response, he is asking the Supreme Court to annul the injunction and disqualify the High Court judge from continuing to hear the case.
Kumi’s legal team, led by Gary Nimako Marfo, argues that the High Court exceeded its authority by granting the injunction, claiming it lacked jurisdiction. They maintain that the injunction was based on an election petition filed by NDC parliamentary candidate Henry Boakye on December 31, 2024. However, they contend that under electoral laws, such petitions can only be filed within 21 days of the official gazette publication of election results. Since, according to them, the election results were gazetted on January 6, 2025, they argue that Boakye’s petition was premature.
In contrast, Boakye’s legal team insists that the Electoral Commission (EC) had actually gazetted the results on December 24, 2024. Lead counsel Bernard Bediako Baidu dismissed Kumi’s claim, stating that their client had the original gazette record, supported by EC filings referencing Gazette No. 234 from December 24. He further pointed out inconsistencies in Kumi’s document, which carried a different gazette number.
The EC’s legal representative, Justin Amennuvor, clarified that neither version of the gazette was presented before the High Court when it issued the injunction. He revealed that the judge relied on an online publication cited by NDC lawyers to establish jurisdiction. Amennuvor argued that since the official gazette record was not available at the time of the ruling, the decision should be overturned.
A five-member Supreme Court panel, led by Justice Gabriel Pwamang, will rule on the matter on April 30.
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