Akwatia, July 22, GNA - The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it welcomes the Supreme Court's ruling that the Electoral Commission (EC) should go ahead to conduct and supervise elections in six polling stations in the Akwatia Constituency.

Party officials told the GNA in an interview that though it took a respectable lead in the collated results in 83 out of the 89 polling stations; it is not taking chances.

It would, therefore, mount a vigorous and relentless campaign to complete the 'unfinished businesses' of retaining the seat it had held in two previous elections in 2000 and 2004. The NPP candidate for the Constituency, Dr. Kofi Asare and other executive members of the party told the GNA at Akwatia that a campaign team was, therefore, being formed to make victory for the party certain.

Dr. Asare expressed the hope that there would be adequate security to ensure the safety of the voters and election materials.

Alhaji Baba Jamal Yakubu, popularly known as 'Baba Yenkro,' NPP constituency chairman, asked the people of Akwatia to realize that they were one people and one family so they should not allow partisan politics to turn them into enemies and be at each other's throat.

Mr. Yusif Ahmed, the Eastern Regional NPP Youth Organizer, said the party's supporters had promised to be peaceful before, during and after the impending polls in the six polling stations and expressed the hope that their political opponents would do same to ensure peace at Akwatia.

In the elections of December 7, Dr. Asare polled 16,889 as against Mr. Baba Jamal's 13,810 votes, with three other candidates: Mr. Samuel Agyei (CPP)- 185, Mr. Basils Ahiable, Independent - 1,817 and Mr. Abrokwah Independent - 62.

But following the disruption of the polls at six polling stations on December 7, the EC decided to have a re-run alongside the second round of the presidential elections on December 28.

However, before that could take place, Mr. Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, and two independent candidates, Mr. Basil Ahiable and Mr. Samuel Abrokwah, filed a writ at the Koforidua High Court to seek an order to restrain the EC from holding the polls and for declaring the results or anybody the winner, which was upheld by the Court.

The NPP parliamentary candidate, Dr Kofi Asare, later brought an application for the certiorari at the Supreme Court to quash the Koforidua High Court's decision that restrained the EC from declaring the results.

The Supreme Court consequently quashed and struck out the lower Court's decision, describing it as 'premature and unwarranted.' 22 July 09