Akwatia MP files for stay of execution

The Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Ernest Yaw Kumi, has filed an application to stay the execution of the bench warrant issued against him by the High Court in Koforidua.

This was revealed by Deputy Minority Whip Jerry Ahmed Shaib while addressing the media on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

This comes barely a day after Mr. Kumi was found guilty of contempt for presenting himself to be sworn in as an MP despite an injunction prohibiting him.

Earlier, the court had barred him from taking the oath of office until a legal dispute was resolved. Notably, Kumi defied this order by proceeding with his swearing-in in Parliament.

The court, citing substantial evidence of his wilful defiance, concluded that Kumi’s actions constituted contempt.

The court also issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Meanwhile, the Minority Caucus has accused the judge of being biased in the case.

Background

It will be recalled that on January 2, 2025, the court granted an injunction request filed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Henry Boakye Yiadom, against the Electoral Commission (EC), Ernest Kumi, and the Clerk of Parliament, halting Kumi’s swearing-in ceremony.

This comes after the Electoral Commission (EC) on December 12, 2024, declared Mr. Kumi of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the winner with 19,269 votes, while Henry Boakye-Yiadom of the NDC polled 17,206 votes.

After hearing arguments in the case, the court issued an interim injunction, effectively barring Mr. Kumi from being recognised as the MP-elect for the Akwatia constituency until further notice.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the NPP MP, Gary Nimako Marfo, argued that the injunction was improperly filed and based on an inappropriate petition.

He further challenged that election results could only be challenged 21 days after they have been published and gazetted, urging the court to dismiss both the injunction order and the petition entirely.