Court throws out election petition against NDC’s Jomoro MP

The Member of Parliament for the Jomoro constituency, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has won the election petition case against her eligibility as an elected MP over her alleged Ivorian citizenship.

The Sekondi High Court presided by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere dismissed the petition and declared the MP eligible on grounds that she lost her Ivorian citizenship at the very time she acquired her Ghanaian Citizenship.

The application was filed by one, Joshua Emuah Kofie who challenged the eligibility of the MP to contest as a representative of the people in the constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to the applicant, the MP holds multiple nationalities, including American and Ivorian citizenships, which contravenes the 1992 Constitution.

The MP, however, denied having American citizenship and claimed to have also renounced her Ivorian citizenship.

Dorcas Affo-Toffey was subsequently ordered by the Court to produce documents on her alleged renunciation of Ivorian citizenship.

But the MP reportedly failed to comply with the court’s order, which compelled the applicant to initiate contempt proceedings against her after she allegedly failed to appear in court and provide the required documents proving her renunciation of the alleged dual citizenship.

Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, counsel for the MP, pleaded with the court to strike out the contempt case and asked for forgiveness, noting his client had no intentions of disrespecting the orders of the court.

Lawyer for the petitioner, Bright Okyere Agyekum asked the court to award a cost of GHC 20,000 against the MP for disobeying the orders of the court and wasting their time before striking out the case of contempt.

The court presided by Justice Sedinam Agbemava subsequently struck out the case and awarded a cost of GH¢5000 against the MP after her lawyer pleaded his client could not afford the amount requested by the petitioner’s lawyer, noting that “things are hard.”