South Dayi MP Files Suit Against Controller and Accountant-General Over Parliamentary Ambitions

Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Member of Parliament for South Dayi, has filed a lawsuit against the country’s Controller and Accountant-General, Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem. The suit, filed in the Ghanaian courts, aims to prevent Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem from contesting in the upcoming parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) while retaining his current position.

Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem, who is aspiring to become the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for the 2024 elections in the Akim Swedru constituency, has faced recent pressure from the public. Many Ghanaians have urged him to resign from his role as the Accountant General before participating in the primaries, citing concerns over the appropriateness of his concurrent holding of a civil servant position and a political candidacy.

In the lawsuit, Dafeamekpor argues that the Controller and Accountant-General’s decision to maintain his role while seeking a parliamentary slot is unconstitutional. The writ specifically requests the court to declare that a civil servant, such as Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem, cannot contest in a political party’s parliamentary primaries without resigning from their civil service position.

Moreover, Dafeamekpor is seeking an interlocutory injunction to restrain Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem from presenting himself as the Controller and Accountant General while he continues to pursue his candidacy for the Akim Swedru parliamentary seat.

This legal action is bolstered by the demands of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) Ghana, which is calling for the immediate removal of Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem from office. ASEPA alleges that his actions breach the Civil Service Act, PNDC Law 327, a cornerstone of Ghana’s civil service regulations.

The case is being closely watched by political analysts and the public, as it touches on the broader issue of the separation of civil service from partisan political activities in Ghana. The court’s decision could have significant implications for the standards of public office holding and the conduct of civil servants in the political arena.