[11]
Mr. Codrington stated in his affidavit as follows:
“I was nominated as the candidate for the United Progressive Party at the General
Election for the Constituency of All Saints West held on March 12th 2009. On the night
of the said March 12th 2009, the Returning Officer declared that I was duly elected as
the Representative of the All Saints West Constituency.
On March 13th 2009, the Returning Officer returned me as the said Representative to
the Electoral Commission by endorsing such return of the Writ of election for the said
constituency. A true copy of the said return is hereto attached and marked “CC1”.
On March 13th 2009, the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda appointed Mr.
Baldwin Spencer as the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, having determined
that Mr. Spencer was the leader of the political party in the House of Representatives,
namely the UPP, which had won the majority of seats in House of Representatives at
the said General Elections. The UPP was declared to have won 9 seats, the BPM one
seat, whilst the Antigua Labour Party was declared to have won 7 seats.
On the 26th day of March 2009, I was served with documents which purported to
consist of a Notice of the presentation of a petition challenging the validity of my
election as the representative of All Saints West, a notice of the nature of the proposed
security and a copy of the petition. The petition appears to have been filed in court on
March 23rd 2009.”
[12]
The Supervisor of Elections’ application
Ms. Lorna Simon, the Supervisor of Elections has also applied to have the petition
dismissed on the ground that it has been filed in breach of section 45(1) of the
Representation of People Act since it was not presented within 7 days after the return was
made in respect of Mr. Codrington. In her affidavit of support she states:
“Following the General Elections held in Antigua and Barbuda on March 12, 2009, the
Returning Officer for the Constituency of All Saints West in those elections delivered to
4