Election Petition is both political and legal – Jinapor

A Lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, Dr Ahmed Jinapor, says besides the legal face-offs between parties during its hearing, the election petition has strong political underpinnings.

He says though counsel for the respective parties make their cases to the bench, they have a sublime focus of impressing followers of the two major political parties in the country – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“The Election Petition is both political and legal,” Dr Jinapor emphasized on TV3’s News Stand on Wednesday, August 7, 2013.

He said Wednesday’s oral presentation in court, though to “convince” the bench, will invariably try as well to convince the NDC and NPP followers that they have cases in the petition.

“It is to tell the followers that they will win the case for them,” he stated. The election petition was filed by NPP’s 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the party’s Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey.

Though they filed the suit on December 28, 2012 in their rights as individual petitioners, followers of the NPP believe a win for them will be a win for their party.

NDC supporters also believe the acceptance of their party’s application to be joined to the suit on January 22, 2013 was an opportunity to help defend the party’s 2012 election candidate, John Dramani Mahama.

However, the bench had on many occasions during hearing cautioned parties in the suit to desist from scoring political points.

“This is different from what you say on your political platforms,” the President of the nine-member panel, Justice William Atuguba, once told Dr Bawumia, the star witness of the petitioners.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the star witness for the first and third respondents and General Secretary of the third respondent, was once told not to talk too much as if on a campaign platform.

“Your behavior is towards the court,” he was told.

“For some of your answers,” Justice Atuguba once told Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, the Chairman of the second respondent. “They sit well with you but for some of us, we are trials of fact. It calls for [further] construction. We need explanation.”

The independence of the judiciary is expected to be at full display when verdict is delivered within 15 days from Wednesday.