Six NPP members allege denial of fair hearing in Nandom constituency election dispute

Six petitioners from the Nandom Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have accused the party's Appeals Committee of breaching due process by denying them access to key appeal documents needed to present their case. The petitioners claim the committee's actions have frustrated their right to be heard during the appeal process. They had earlier petitioned the Nandom Constituency Elections Committee to block Patrick Nakpenaa from contesting the constituency chairmanship position in the upcoming NPP constituency elections. Last week, the committee upheld the petition, citing "impeachable evidence" that Mr. Nakpenaa campaigned against the NPP and its parliamentary candidate ahead of the 2024 general election, which the party lost in the constituency.

According to the petitioners, Mr. Nakpenaa was suspended by the party in February 2024 for gross misconduct. Although the suspension was later revoked, they alleged that he subsequently campaigned for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the December 2024 elections, leading to his disqualification from the chairmanship race. The petitioners argue that their right to a fair hearing has been undermined because they were invited to appear before the Appeals Committee in Wa without first being served with the appellant's notice of appeal and other relevant documents. They stated, "We protested unceasingly, but they wouldn't budge." Eddie Kaleo Naa Tizaala acknowledged that the notice of appeal was not available when the petitioners appeared before the committee on Tuesday, stating he did not have the document at the time of the hearing.