Divisions are surfacing within Ghana’s two major political parties after prominent stalwarts dragged the NPP and NDC to the Supreme Court over their delegate-based system for choosing their presidential and parliamentary candidates.
The plaintiffs — Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng and Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe of the NPP, together with NDC stalwart Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah — are seeking a constitutional interpretation of the delegate-based system used in party primaries.
They argue that limiting voting rights to a select group of party executives, office holders, and delegates breaches provisions of the 1992 Constitution, including Articles 1, 17, 42, 33(5), and 55(5), which relate to equality, political rights, and democratic participation.
Reacting to the suit, a member of the NPP’s legal directorate, Ishaq Ibrahim, questioned the decision and timing of the legal action. “
“To go to court to take an action to force political party to open up immediately for everybody, I don’t think it is an area the court should actually entertain. Why this time with these two particular individuals who are already in trouble with the NPP?”
The UPSA law lecturer suggested internal party mechanisms could have been explored before resorting to the courts.
Similarly, Sisala West MP Mohammed Sukparu said he struggles to understand the motive behind the lawsuit. Speaking on GH Today, he noted he would only support such a move if it aimed at reducing the monetisation of internal party elections by delegates.
“For the first time that I am disagreeing with Professor Frimpong-Boateng, this particular suit, you know, if you look at it, I don’t know what it seems to achieve”, he stated.
However, political communications lawyer Mohammed Tawfik Adamu believes the plaintiffs are within their constitutional rights to seek judicial interpretation. He argues that while the electoral college system should not be scrapped entirely, it must be expanded to ensure broader participation and fairness in internal party elections.
The case is expected to test the balance between political party autonomy and constitutional democratic principles.
