Three senior public figures have initiated a legal action at the Supreme Court against Ghana’s three major political parties, the Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General, challenging the delegate-based systems used for internal elections.
The plaintiffs are Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a cardiothoracic surgeon and former presidential aspirant, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, a veteran political figure, and Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah, a former Minister of State. They filed the suit on January 23, 2026, contending that the current systems limit voting rights in internal party elections to a restricted group of delegates, executives and office holders.
In the writ before the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction, the plaintiffs argue that political parties are constitutionally recognised vehicles for citizens to exercise political power and that restrictions on participation by ordinary party members contravene the democratic values enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. They cite provisions in the Constitution, including Articles 1, 17, 33(5), 35(6)(d), 42 and 55(5), which address equality, political participation and democratic governance.
Under the delegate systems challenged in the suit, only selected members of an electoral college or designated delegates are entitled to vote in primaries for presidential and parliamentary candidates. The plaintiffs describe this arrangement as “severely disenfranchising” ordinary party members in good standing and argue that it creates a privileged class whose influence over nomination outcomes is disproportionate.
The legal action targets specific constitutional provisions of the parties’ constitutions, including the NPP’s Article 13, the NDC’s Articles 43 and 44, and multiple clauses in the CPP’s constitution, all of which the plaintiffs say enshrine delegate-based selection mechanisms. The suit also names the Electoral Commission as a defendant, alleging it has failed to enforce Section 9(a) of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574), which requires that a party’s internal organisation align with democratic principles before registration.
The plaintiffs are seeking several declarations. These include a ruling that nominating presidential and parliamentary candidates is a core part of a party’s “internal organisation” under the Constitution, that the existing delegate systems are unconstitutional, and that political parties must adopt electoral arrangements that guarantee equal, direct and meaningful participation of all members in good standing. They also want an order compelling the Electoral Commission to ensure that internal party elections comply with constitutional and statutory democratic standards.