<<Print>>

Deputy Minister of Information, Murtala Mohammed, has described the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as �a group that is confused, frustrated and wanting attention� for asking him to retract certain comments he was alleged to have made on Tosh FM. �It is not true that I had an interview and I spoke on the Supreme Court issue� he said. A statement written by the NPP indicated that, Mr. Murtala Mohammed said, �contrary to the view many people have, the Supreme Court has no such powers to declare a winner of an election. That is not their responsibility. The only body that has the responsibility of declaring a winner of an election is the Electoral Commission.� This statement according to the NPP, seeks to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court. But in an interview with Citi News Mr. Murtala Mohammed said �these attempts to save that irresponsible statement that Sammy Awuku made will not wash.� According to him, his interview on Tosh FM was part of the daily Press Briefing at the Flagstaff House, where he had to clarify certain issues that had already been discussed. �It was at the tail end of my interview that I took the opportunity to admonish people to be law abiding, considering the fact that Volta region is a region that we have a huge following as a political party� he said. He explained that his call for respect of the electoral commission and his comments that the electoral commission is the only body mandated by law to conduct elections and declare winners was based on a question that he was asked: �Is the Supreme Court mandated with the constitutional right to conduct elections and declare winners of the election of this country or it�s the electoral commission that is supposed to do so?� He called on the NPP to desist from such claims because his comments was not to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court.