General News
Dr. Charles Dwamena Sues Hubtel for GH¢5 Million Over Alleged Campaign USSD Sabotage
Dr. Charles Dwamena, the National Treasurer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a candidate for the party’s General Secretary position, has filed a lawsuit against Hubtel Limited at the Commercial Division of the High Court in Kumasi, seeking GH¢5 million in damages over what he describes as a breach of contract, negligence, and unlawful interference with his campaign donation platform.
According to the writ of summons and statement of claim filed in July 2026, Dr. Dwamena, a former Deputy Ambassador of Ghana to China and former Director of Finance and Administration at the NPP headquarters, alleges that Hubtel unlawfully activated a separate USSD shortcode bearing his personal name and later deactivated his official campaign donation shortcode without his knowledge or consent.
The suit states that in January 2026, Dr. Dwamena engaged Hubtel to provide a USSD-based payment platform to collect donations for his campaign for the NPP General Secretary race scheduled for September 18–20, 2026. Hubtel allegedly assigned him the shortcode 7132028#, which was configured by his campaign team and integrated into his official campaign website, www.drdwamenaelections.org.
According to the claim, Dr. Dwamena invested significant time, effort, and financial resources into developing the donation platform, including creating multiple donation categories and payment options for supporters.
The lawsuit states that Hubtel later onboarded his software developer and provided technical support through a dedicated WhatsApp group involving Hubtel officials identified as Ms. Benedicta and Mr. Makafui.
Dr. Dwamena argues that Hubtel was contractually obligated to maintain and operate the campaign shortcode, refrain from activating any other shortcode bearing his name without his approval, avoid linking his campaign platform to any other shortcode, and ensure that his campaign payment infrastructure remained operational.
However, the suit alleges that on April 21, 2026, Stephen Forson, identified as the Deputy Director of Information Technology at the NPP headquarters, requested Hubtel through a WhatsApp integration platform to activate another shortcode, 7142028#.
The plaintiff claims he immediately objected in writing, warning that activating the new shortcode would create confusion because 7132028# had already been assigned exclusively to his campaign. Despite the objection, he alleges Hubtel proceeded to activate the new shortcode.
According to the statement of claim, Hubtel also linked the newly activated shortcode to Dr. Dwamena’s existing campaign platform, causing users making payments through 7142028# to see his name as the designated beneficiary.
The court documents include allegations that payment prompts displayed messages such as “Enter Amount to pay to Dr Charles Dwamena” and payment confirmation screens identifying him as the recipient of transactions.
Dr. Dwamena further claims Hubtel subsequently deactivated his original campaign shortcode, 7132028#, without his authorization, effectively shutting down his official donation platform during a critical stage of his campaign.
He argues that Hubtel’s actions breached both contractual obligations and its duty of care as a licensed payment service provider under Ghana’s Payment Systems and Services Act, 2019 (Act 987).
The plaintiff also accuses Hubtel of failing to implement proper authorization procedures before activating a shortcode bearing his name and of giving priority to instructions from third parties over those of its own client.
Dr. Dwamena says the actions severely damaged his reputation after publications circulated on official NPP WhatsApp platforms and social media allegedly portrayed him as someone involved in diverting party membership dues into his personal account.
He further claims the alleged actions resulted in the loss of campaign donations, damaged his political standing ahead of the NPP National Executive elections, and negatively affected his professional reputation.
As part of the suit, Dr. Dwamena is seeking declarations that Hubtel breached its contract by activating the unauthorized shortcode and deactivating his official campaign shortcode.
He is also asking the court to order Hubtel to immediately restore shortcode 7132028# and permanently deactivate shortcode 7142028#.
Additionally, the plaintiff wants the court to compel Hubtel to provide a full account of all transactions processed through the disputed shortcode and pay over any sums found to be due.
Dr. Dwamena is seeking GH¢5 million in general damages for breach of contract and negligence, exemplary damages for what he describes as Hubtel’s reckless and high-handed conduct, special damages for lost campaign donations and other consequential losses, interest on all monetary awards at the prevailing Bank of Ghana rate, and legal costs.
The case is yet to be heard, and Hubtel is expected to respond to the allegations before the court determines the merits of the claims.