The Techiman High Court has dismissed a parliamentary petition filed by Christopher Beyere Baasongti, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NDC’s parliamentary candidate for the 2024 election, against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Techiman South, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah.
Christopher Beyere Baasongti filed his parliamentary election petition on 27 January 2025, following the Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) gazette notification of the election results for the Techiman South constituency on 7 January 2025.
However, on 31 January 2025, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah through his lawyer, Gary Nimako Marfo, filed a motion with a supporting affidavit, challenging the validity of the parliamentary petition.
Essentially, he contended that between the time of publication of the gazette notification and the filing of the petitioner’s petition, the petitioner failed to give security for cost because no application was brought for determination of how much would be payable as security for cost within the stipulated 21 days as provided for by law.
Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah further contended that the petitioner’s failure to give security for cost within the said 21 days of the publication of the gazette notification rendered his election petition filed on 27 January 2025 invalid and same ought to be set aside by High Court.
The motion filed by Mr Adjei-Mensah Korsah was moved on 17 Febraury 2025. The High Court in its ruling on the application to set the petiktion aside dismissed it noting that the Election Petition filed by the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, Christopher Beyere challenging the election of Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah was invalid since the petitioner failed to apply for security for cost to be determined and paid within the period prescribed by law and in line with section 18(2) of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 ( PNDCL 284).
The petitioner, Christopher Beyere Baasongti, was represented in court by Abdul-Hameed Zakaria and Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah was represented by the director of legal affairs for the NPP, Gary Nimako Marfo.
