Ghana: Court Affirms Kwaku Afriyie As MP for Sefwi Wiawso

17 January 2023

The Sefwi Wiawso High Court has affirmed Dr KwakuAfriyie as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sefwi Wiawso Constituency.

Dr Afriyie, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP's victory in the 2020 general election was contested by the parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Constituency, Paul Evans Aidoo who petitioned the court to restrain Dr Kwaku Afriyie from holding himself as MP-elect for the area.

Mr Aidoo on January 6, 2021, in a suit prayed the court to declare the outcome of the December 2020 parliamentary election in the Sefwi Wiawso Constituency as null and void.

The 2020 NDC parliamentary candidate claimed that the results had not been tallied and that a ballot box from the Sefwi Asawinso Community Centre 2 polling station had been stolen by some unidentified individuals as it was being taken to the Wiawso collation center.

Mr Aidoo, however, was unable to back his claims with any proof, the court stated in its ruling.

Three years after hearing the testimony of all parties, including the petitioner, Mr Aidoo and the defendants Dr Afriyie and the Electoral Commission, the court presided over by Justice Kwame Amoako ruled that the petitioner's claim lacked merit.

According to Justice Kwame Amoako, there were anomalies and contradictions in the evidence presented before the court by the petitioner.

He thus confirmed Dr Afriyie as the legally elected Member of Parliament for the Sefwi Wiawso seat.

Dr Afriyie is the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and a medical doctor by profession.

He previously served as Minister of the Ministries of Health, Lands and Natural Resources, Western Regional Minister, and Minister of State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) at various stages of his political career.

Dr Afriyie was born on July 7, 1954 at Sefwi Wiawso. He has an MB CBH from the University of Ghana Medical School and a Master of Public Health from Tulane University, New Orleans, United States.

He is also a fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.

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