The High Court in Tamale has placed an injunction on Dr. Mahama Tia Kabiru, preventing him from presenting himself as the elected parliamentary candidate (PC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Walewale constituency in the North East Region.

This ruling, delivered by Justice Richard Kugyapaw on Monday, June 24, is in response to a legal challenge by the current Member of Parliament (MP), Hajia Lariba Zuweratu, against the election results.

Dr. Kabiru, a 35-year-old PhD holder and special advisor to the Vice President, emerged victorious in a closely contested primary held in January.

He narrowly defeated Hajia Lariba by securing 345 votes against her 338, in an election conducted under tight security and attended by regional and constituency executives.

Following the primary, Hajia Lariba disputed the results, filing an ex parte motion at the Tamale High Court. She accused Dr. Kabiru, the party, and the Electoral Commission of electoral irregularities and misconduct, seeking an injunction to prevent Dr. Kabiru from declaring himself the winner.

The court has now granted this request, barring Dr. Kabiru from assuming the position.

In addition to Dr. Kabiru and Hajia Lariba, two other candidates participated in the primary: Tahiru Sham-Una, who received 145 votes, and Jangdoo Mahama, who received 1 vote.

Initially, the NPP, named as a third defendant, attempted to have the case dismissed on the grounds that Hajia Lariba had not exhausted the party’s internal conflict resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.

Prior to this ruling, NPP supporters in the Walewale constituency held a press conference urging the party’s Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to intervene and resolve the dispute.

They warned that a prolonged conflict could harm the party’s chances in the upcoming general elections.

In March, the High Court granted the NPP’s request to settle the dispute out of court. However, in a session on March 15, the court declined to dismiss the case and fined the party GH¢8000. Despite agreeing to an out-of-court settlement, the court has now intervened with an injunction against Dr. Kabiru, underscoring the ongoing tensions within the party.