Supreme Court gives NDC, NPP and Attorney-General 14 days to respond to delegate system case
At the centre of the case is a lawsuit brought by Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah. They are contesting the delegate-based systems used by political parties to select presidential and parliamentary candidates
A constitutional challenge that could reshape internal party elections in Ghana has moved a step forward, with the Supreme Court ordering the NDC, the NPP and the Attorney-General to file their Statements of Case within 14 days.
The directive was issued by a seven-member panel chaired by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie when the matter was called on Wednesday, 29 April 2026.
At the centre of the case is a lawsuit brought by Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah. They are contesting the delegate-based systems used by political parties to select presidential and parliamentary candidates, arguing that those arrangements violate the constitutional requirement that internal party organisation must conform to democratic principles.
In their view, restricting the vote to selected delegates, executives and party officers sidelines members in good standing and undermines the broader guarantee of equal political participation.
While the Convention People’s Party and the Electoral Commission have already filed their processes, the court was told that the NDC, the NPP and the Attorney-General had not yet done so. That delay drew concern from the bench, especially as some party officials were also absent from court.
The plaintiffs are asking the court for a series of declarations that would effectively strike down the delegate and conference systems currently used by the parties where those systems materially disenfranchise ordinary members.
They also want the Supreme Court to compel the parties to amend their constitutions and voting arrangements, and to direct the Electoral Commission to enforce democratic compliance under Article 55(5) of the Constitution and the Political Parties Act.
The case therefore goes beyond procedure. It raises a larger constitutional question about whether political parties in Ghana can continue to use limited electoral colleges or whether internal candidate selection must become more directly participatory.
If the court eventually agrees with the plaintiffs, the ruling could significantly alter how the major parties organise their internal contests.
