The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has taken legal action against the Electoral Commission (EC), filing an interlocutory injunction application to halt the upcoming Ejisu by-election slated for Tuesday, 30 April 2024.

The move by the CPP aims to suspend the by-election until a lawsuit challenging the candidacy of one Esther Osei is resolved.

Initiated by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the CPP, Emmanuel Gallo, the lawsuit asserts that the party formally communicated its decision not to participate in the by-election to the Electoral Commission on Thursday, 18 April 2024. 

Among the six reliefs sought by the CPP, the party is petitioning the court to affirm that no Constituency Branch Conference of the CPP has endorsed Esther Osei or any individual as a Parliamentary candidate for the Ejisu Constituency by-election.

The CPP contends that the selection of a parliamentary candidate for the constituency should involve a Constituency Branch Party Conference, followed by approval from the Central Committee, as mandated by its constitution. 

However, the party claims that such processes have not occurred in the case of Esther Osei or any other candidate in the Ejisu Constituency.

The party alleges that Ms Osei or any purported candidate representing the CPP in the by-election has not been officially endorsed through the party’s internal procedures. 

The CPP emphasises that its Central Committee has not considered or approved any candidate for the Ejisu Constituency by-election.

In its legal action, the CPP seeks a declaration from the High Court affirming that the party’s Central Committee has not endorsed Ms. Osei or any other candidate for the Ejisu Constituency by-election. 

Additionally, the party requests the court to grant an injunction against the by-election until its claims and demands are adjudicated.