Election Petition: We won’t get 100% acceptance of results – Rev Asante

Chairman of the National Peace Council Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Kwasi Asante says he is not convinced there is going to be a 100% acceptance of the verdict of the landmark election petition.

He, however, indicated that: “If we want our democracy to move forward, we must abide by the rule of law.”

Rev. Asante was speaking on TV3’s 7GMT on Thursday, July 18, 2013, a day after hearing of evidence on the petition was brought to an end.

Rev. Prof. Asante was full of praise for counsel of the parties in the case as well as the judges.

“They really showed a clear sense of patriotism. We, Ghanaians, should learn a great deal from that,” he stated.

He also commended the Supreme Court for giving Ghanaians “access to the whole process”.

“We have followed our constitution, which anticipated that a time will come that someone will contest results of an election,” he said.

“We have sought justice,” he stressed.

‘Spirit of discernment’

Rev. Prof. Asante prayed for “the spirit of discernment” for the nine Supreme Court judges as they prepare a docket for the verdict to be passed.

“That’s our prayer and our wish now,” he told Wendy Laryea.

He, however, called on civil society organizations to intensify education of the populace on the aftermath of the verdict, dropping the hint that it is still unclear how Ghanaians will accept the results.

“You can take a horse to the river side, but you can’t force it to drink,” he said of a section of the public, who may not accept the verdict wholeheartedly.

He was, however, hopeful that by the time the verdict is delivered, intensive education would have influenced Ghanaians on accepting the results in good faith.