EC v PPP: Supreme Court has spoken well – Kofi Bentil

The Supreme Court of Ghana “spoke well” in its judgment concerning the case between the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Mr Kofi Bentil, Vice President of policy think tank IMANI Ghana has said.

The apex court on Monday, 7 November ordered the EC to extend the nomination period for the flag bearers to Tuesday, 8 November. It also directed the EC to give all the disqualified flag bearers a fair hearing to make the necessary corrections on their nomination forms.

Additionally, the Supreme Court has also ordered all High Courts to suspend any case before them in connection with the disqualification of other flag bearers.

The EC resorted to the Supreme Court via a certiorari application to seek finality to the plethora of court cases filed against it by some of the 13 presidential nominees it disqualified over certain filing anomalies.

Prior to the certiorari application, the EC said in a statement after the High Court ruling that it had “completed a review of the judgment of the High Court, Accra dated 28th October, 2016 in the case of the Republic v Mrs. Charlotte Osei & Electoral Commission; Ex parte Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, numbered GT1401/2016. Having carefully studied the contents of the judgment, we respectfully disagree with the High Court judge’s decision on several essential legal and public policy grounds.”

Mr Bentil wrote on his Facebook page after the judgment that: “The supervisors of our democracy have spoken, and spoken well! Then again was it necessary? Every reasonable person knew this was the right thing to do, why did the EC take us through this?”

He added: “Don't get it wrong. I was happy about the disqualifications because I think there are too many jokers trying to run, but if it must be done, it must be done well.”