The Koforidua High Court has dismissed a parliamentary election petition filed by former Suhum MP, Kwadjo Asante, after ruling that the case was without merit and unsupported by credible evidence of electoral malpractice.
The decision was made on Thursday, December 18, following the conclusion of cross-examination, which the court found had exposed fundamental weaknesses in the petitioner’s claims. Speaking to journalists after the ruling, the Member of Parliament for Akuapim North, Sammi Awuku, said the petitioner failed to substantiate allegations of irregularities capable of overturning the election results.
According to him, the court was convinced that the evidence presented by Kwadjo Asante could not sustain the petition, particularly after rigorous cross-examination by lawyers for the respondents.
“The court dismissed the petition on the grounds that it had no basis. The cross-examination conducted by Lawyer Nimako and his team clearly exposed the lack of evidence supporting the claims made in the petition,” Awuku stated.
In addition to dismissing the case, the court awarded GH¢200,000 in costs and damages against the petitioner. This followed a request by the respondents for GH¢500,000 to compensate for the time and resources expended over the one-year trial. Although the petitioner proposed a reduced amount of GH¢50,000, the court settled on GH¢200,000.
Kwadjo Asante, who contested the 2024 parliamentary election in Suhum as an independent candidate, had asked the court to annul the election results and order a fresh poll. However, the court upheld the declaration of Frank Asiedu Bekoe, popularly known as Protozoa, as the duly elected Member of Parliament.
Frank Asiedu Bekoe won the election with 16,855 votes, defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Prince Kwadwo Addo Tabiri, who obtained 15,259 votes. Kwadjo Asante placed third with 14,860 votes.
