The Tamale High Court presided over by Judge Richard M. Gojyapwah has quashed the decision of the District Registration Review Committee (DRC) in the Zabzugu constituency.
The judge in his ruling said the DRC was not properly constituted and that the court cannot ascertain the credibility of their work due to the changes that occurred during its work.
During the hearing, it was disclosed that the chairman of DRC who is the District Police Commander was absent in one of the sittings and the District Criminal Investigation Department CID) officer replaced him in one of the meetings.
It also emerged that the defendant accused the police commander of being a sympathizer of the opposition NDC.
The commander recused himself from the committee’s hearing but the defendants not satisfied went to the court to ask it to quash the DRC decision.
The judge on 29th September ruled against the National Democratic Congress to be the third respondents on the eligibility of some 700 residents from Monpaani, Takrodo, Konkoronjungni in the Tatale constituency to be registrants in the Zabzugu constituency.
They were challenged by the NDC agents during the voter registration exercise and out of the number, over 400 were disqualified by DRC.
But reading his judgment Wednesday, the judge ordered the Electoral Commission to give out the cards it was withholding to those challenged.
The judge also said there was no written evidence to show that different committee members sat at different review meetings.
Spokesperson for the Member of Parliament for Zabzugu constituency, Mr Issifu Alidu Labandow told Zaa News that even though the party accepted the judgment, it disagreed with the judge’s reasons.
According to him, the judge failed to look into the merit of the cases and only focused on technicalities of the DRC.
The NDC Mr party he said beat the ruling party candidate who is also the deputy northern regional minister, Mr John Jabaah Benam and will win the seat again based on developmental projects Mr Alhassan Umar has brought to the area in his four years in parliament.
