Court remands independent parliamentary candidate over offensive conduct
An independent candidate in the Madina Constituency, Awal Mohammed, has been remanded by the Adentan Circuit Court for allegedly featuring himself alongside John Mahama, a presidential candidate, on campaign posters.
His arrest followed a report from Abdul Razak Hussein, the Madina Constituency Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mohammed faces charges of offensive conduct to breaches of peace, to which he has pleaded not guilty before the court, presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam.
He is expected to reappear before the court on October 18, 2024.
Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, the prosecutor, informed the court that the complainant, Abdul Razak Hussein, serves as the Madina Constituency Secretary for the NDC.
He also stated that Mohammed was running as an independent candidate and that both men reside in Madina.
The court learned that Mohammed was a member of the NDC but chose to fill out and submit a nomination form to the Electoral Commission as an independent candidate when it opened applications for those wishing to run for Parliament.
The prosecution stated that Hussein received multiple complaints from party members regarding Mohammed’s actions.
They alleged that Mohammed had been putting up posters featuring himself alongside the NDC’s presidential candidate, John Mahama, at various vantage locations within the constituency.
The court was informed that party members, particularly the youth, expressed concern after noticing the images of both the presidential candidate and Mohammed displayed on walls and other strategic spots, fearing it could disrupt the peace in the area.
The prosecution indicated that after receiving the complaint, the police invited Mohammed and obtained a caution statement from him.
In his caution statement, Mohammed denied having published the posters but acknowledged that he had used the name of the NDC flag bearer during his public campaigns.
Source: GNA