The Koforidua High Court in the Eastern Region has granted an interim injunction against the swearing-in of Ernest Kumi as the Member of Parliament-elect for the Akwatia constituency.

Mr Kumi was declared the winner by the Electoral Commission (EC) three weeks ago, following a dispute between the two main contesting parties in the constituency, the NDC and NPP over the collation of results.

However, the NDC’s parliamentary candidate, Henry Boakye-Yiadom, has filed a lawsuit against the EC, Ernest Kumi, and the Clerk to Parliament, seeking an injunction to prevent Mr Kumi’s swearing-in.

After hearing the case, the court issued an order prohibiting Mr Kumi from being recognized as the MP-elect for Akwatia.

The court’s ruling states: “The respondents, their representatives, agents, servants, and all privies are restrained from proceeding to call, admit, register, swear in, recognize, or gazette the 1st respondent (Ernest Kumi) as the elected Member of Parliament for the Akwatia constituency.”

The court also instructed Mr Kumi to refrain from “holding himself as the Member of Parliament for the Akwatia constituency.”

The order will remain in effect for 10 days.

The EC’s declaration of Ernest Kumi as the winner was made at the National Police Training School in Tesano, Accra, following several unsuccessful attempts to finalize the results in the Eastern Region.

Mr Kumi garnered 19,269 votes, while Henry Boakye-Yiadom of the NDC received 17,206 votes.

The Akwatia constituency, traditionally a stronghold for the NPP, is now a battleground for the NDC.