The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ashanti Regional Executive Elections Committee has rejected reports that a court injunction has been issued to stop the party’s regional executive elections, insisting that no valid court order has been served on the committee.
Chairperson of the committee, Rita Talata Asobayire, said the document being circulated as an injunction does not legally bind the body responsible for organising the elections because the committee was not properly named or served.
She made the clarification in an interview with Adom News on Saturday at Jubilee Park in Kumasi, where delegates are voting.
According to Madam Asobayire, the committee has received no valid directive from the court ordering it to suspend the elections and has therefore continued with preparations for the exercise.
“I was a police officer and I can tell you that this was not an injunction because they didn’t include the election committee in the injunction letter,” she said.
She explained that any court order seeking to stop the elections must be properly served on the specific body mandated to conduct the exercise.
She consequently maintained that the committee was not in breach of any court directive by proceeding with the polls.
“The committee has not been served with any valid court order. Therefore, preparations toward the Ashanti Regional Executive elections are still ongoing,” she added.
Over 500 police officers deployed
With the elections attracting significant attention, Madam Asobayire disclosed that more than 500 police officers had been deployed to Jubilee Park and other strategic locations across the region to maintain security.
She appealed to all aspirants, delegates and supporters to avoid confrontations and ensure that the exercise proceeded peacefully.
“I am appealing to all aspirants and their supporters to ensure that peace and order are maintained. We want this election to be free, fair, and transparent,” she said.
The committee chairperson also urged party members to disregard what she described as misleading information intended to create confusion around the elections.
A total of 1,020 delegates are expected to participate in the Ashanti Regional contest, with 34 aspirants competing for 11 executive positions.
The Regional Chairmanship race has emerged as one of the major highlights of the exercise, with Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, facing Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu.
The elections form part of the NPP’s nationwide regional reorganisation as the party seeks to strengthen its grassroots structures and position itself for the 2028 general elections.
A peaceful and credible outcome in the Ashanti Region is expected to be particularly significant for the party given the region’s importance to its electoral fortunes.
