Three prominent Ghanaians, including two officials from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of how Ghana’s major political parties—NPP, NDC, and CPP—conduct their internal elections for presidential and parliamentary candidates.
In the writ, they argued that the current delegate-based systems violate the democratic principles mandated by the 1992 Constitution, specifically Article 55(5), which requires parties to organize their internal affairs democratically.
The plaintiffs—Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, and Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah—contend that these systems restrict voting rights to a small group of party elites, officials, and delegates, effectively disenfranchising ordinary party members who are in good standing.
According to them, such practices undermine the core democratic values of political equality, broad participation, and accountability.
They are seeking court declarations that these delegate-based electoral systems are unconstitutional and should be nullified. Additionally, they want the Supreme Court to order political parties to amend their internal rules to ensure that member participation in candidate selection is equal, direct, and meaningful.
The plaintiffs also accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of neglecting its constitutional duty to oversee and ensure that parties’ internal elections conform to democratic standards, as required by law.
The plaintiffs urge the court to clarify the constitutional obligations of political parties and the EC to promote transparency, fairness, and equal voting rights in internal elections.
Find below a copy
