Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Africa, has expressed disappointment over the Ho High Court’s decision to dismiss a petition challenging the election of John Peter Amewu as Member of Parliament for Hohoe.
The petition contested excluding communities from the Santokofe, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe (SALL) enclave in the Volta Region from voting in the December 2020 parliamentary elections.
Cudjoe criticized the court’s ruling, interpreting it as a confirmation of the marginalization of the SALL communities.
In a Facebook post, he remarked, “Effectively, the judge signed off SALL’s non-existence on this land mass called Ghana.” He questioned which political leader would address the disenfranchisement and restore dignity to all affected people.
The petition, brought by residents of SALL who could not vote, aimed to annul Amewu’s election victory because their communities were excluded.
However, the court dismissed the case, citing jurisdictional grounds and implications for constitutional interpretations related to CI 128, which governed the 2020 elections.
Amewu intervened late in the proceedings and introduced new issues that the opposition NDC perceived as attempts to delay the case. The outcome has left the SALL communities needing parliamentary representation despite their status as part of the newly created Oti Region.
The ruling has sparked controversy and raised concerns about electoral fairness and representation in Ghana’s democratic processes, prompting calls for further legal and political action to address the grievances of the affected communities.
