The Supreme Court, has in a unanimous decision consolidated the two cases filed against the Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) voters’ registration exercise.
The court has also asked the plaintiff in the second suit, Mr Mark Takyi-Banson to file his statement of case by close of Monday, June 22, 2020.
As a result of the consolidation, the Apex Court has indefinitely adjourned its judgement in the case filed by the NDC which was slated for June 23 this year for judgement.
At the hearing today, (Friday, June 19, 2020) a seven-member panel of the Apex Court, presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Annin Yeboah, adjourned the case to Wednesday (June 23, 2020) after it had consolidated the two cases following an application by a Deputy A-G, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame for consolidation of the suits on grounds that the two suits “arrives substantially as the same set of action.”
NDC's petition
Prior to the announcement of the date of the registration exercise, the NDC rank and file had challenged the Commission's constitutional mandate to hold the mass registration exercise and compile a new voters' register, at the Supreme Court.
The party also seeks declaration on the constitutionality of the EC to exclude the voters' ID card as part of the identification requirements for the exercise.
The NDC however dropped their case on whether or not the EC should conduct the exercise but their petition on the exclusion of the voters' ID card still holds before the law court.
Some political critics believe the NDC's decision to go for their relief on the voters' ID card while they drop their case on the registration exercise supports the EC's decision to compile a new voters' register.
Fresh suit against EC
A native of Breman-Kokoso in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region, Mark Takyi-Banson has initiated a fresh challenge at the Supreme Court in relation to the Electoral Commission’s (EC) intention to use the Ghana Card and the Ghanaian passport as the only identification documents for the upcoming mass voters' registration exercise.
In his writ filed against the EC and the Attorney-General (A-G) at the Supreme Court on Friday, June 12, 2020, Mr Takyi-Banson is seeking an order directed at the EC to include a birth certificate and the existing voters' ID card as evidence of identification in the upcoming mass voter registration exercise.
Represented by Cosmas Mweyang Anpengnuo of Bayong Law Consult in Kokomlemle, Accra as his counsel, the plaintiff filed the writ on Friday, June 12, 2020.
He also wants the Supreme Court to order the EC to include under Regulation 1 (3) of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (C.I. 126), the existing voter identification card issued by the EC as evidence of identification.
Source: Daily Graphic
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Agya you said Twi people. Who are Twi people? Is Twi the only language spoken in Ghana. No wonder our music and movies in twi do not sell outside Ghana. Instead of you to preach unity you are promoting ethnocentrism. I am an Fante man married to an Ewe lady, and would always preach unity than divisiveness. A musician who sings in Ewe for instance would get market in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Preach unity. Long live mother Ghana
Bitterness and strong hatred for Twi people is what is killing many NDC members. Hatred for Twi people causes them to always insult President Akufo-Addo. However, the NDC must know that they are minority. NPP has more supporters than the NDC.
It is more certain the CJ is not getting the majority to rule in EC's favour. That's may be why they convinced the NDC to drop one of their pleas.
@Ben. Chief Justice doesn't have such powers. What you are saying is a constitutional matter. The constitution will need to be amended to include such powers. And to add to that, we will need to have a referendum for the constitution to be amended which will require us to vote as well. So we will be back to the voting. We have no option than to conduct election this year in order to avoid power vacuum and constitutional crisis.
If I were the chief justice I will confer with my colleagues to make the judiciary the most powerful institution in Ghana by ruling that the election should be suspended until 2022 and take advantage of the constitution to also become the interim president. That will give non politicians the chance to govern for us to see whether they are better than the politicians. At least the chief justice can use the law to lead the nation and jail both past and present government officials who are corrupt. Martin Amidu can then do his work very well and all these arrogant guys like ken agyepong, abronye, wontumi and co will see their smoothness level. The police and military can therefore also do their work without interference. The chief justice can use this opportunity to sanitize the system. Nana addo himself will love it. He needs early retirement.