The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rescinded its decision to mediate in the case brought against the party by lawyer Phillip Addison over the Korle Klottey parliamentary primary elections.
Dr. Opoku Adusei, lawyer for the NPP, said the party wants to remain neutral for the Accra High Court to determine the case.
He said the party would allow both parties to pursue the case in court, insisting that the NPP would maintain its supervisory role.
The NPP, through its lawyers, told the court, presided over by Justice Patience Mills Tetteh, that it wanted an out-of-court settlement.
This, the party said, was to allow the National Council to intervene in the matter and find an amicable solution.
At the last sitting, Frank Davis, lawyer for Mr. Addison, lead counsel for the NPP in the 2013 presidential election petition, stated that the party was expected to hold a meeting last week over the issue.
He said the party would use its internal structures to solve the problem.
Prof. Mike Oquaye, who represented the party, noted that previous meetings ended inclusively.
The trial judge however adjourned the case to January 12, 2016.
Mr. Addison and another person Nii Adjei Tawiah dragged the party to the High Court, demanding the annulment of the August 2 polls, which elected Valentino Nii Noi as the parliamentary candidate of the constituency.
According to the writ, the rules and regulations required the Parliamentary Elections Committee to receive and keep the constituency register until same was submitted to the Electoral Commission.
The plaintiffs alleged that the duly certified register was inspected by all the aspirants and same was kept by the Parliamentary Elections Committee Secretary, adding that this was never made available to the EC because 2nd August 2015 was not the agreed date for the conduct of the polls.
In the view of the plaintiffs, the persons who organized the August 2, 2015, elections procured a totally different voters’ register for use on that day.
The infraction, the complainants said, allowed persons, whose names were not on the duly certified voters register, to cast their ballot.
<<Print>>