Nana Addo Attends Lawyers’ Confab

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), yesterday joined hundreds of lawyers for the opening session of this year’s annual general conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Takoradi.

Neatly dressed in a black suit with white a shirt and violet tie, the NPP flagbearer, an active member of the GBA, was full of smiles throughout the session.

The well-attended six-day conference is on the theme ‘The Role of the Legal Profession in the Electoral Process’.

Addressing the lawyers, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, indicated that virtually every facet of life including electoral process was regulated by law.

He stressed that the role of lawyers in the resolution of electoral disputes was critical.

Dr Kunbuor mentioned that apart from the unique roles lawyers played in enacting laws, they also played other roles which further enhanced the integrity of the country’s electoral process.

He noted that political parties were stepping up their respective campaigns to woo voters and called on lawyers to enlighten the citizens on the need to be civil in their political discourse.

He encouraged his colleague lawyers to work actively towards enhancing judicial process and avoid employing tactics to deliberately delay the courts’ efforts at resolving electoral disputes speedily and expeditiously.

Dr. Kunbuor indicated that elections should not be perceived as battles which should be won by whatever means, but rather contests of ideas, policies and programmes.

“The use of unsavory language can derail our march towards democracy. Indeed, peace is a sine qua non for a credible election and that is why the peace council, religious bodies and traditional authorities are all urging us to avoid acts that will mar the peace of the impending elections,” he added.

He commended members of the GBA for contributing immensely in diverse ways towards the promotion of democracy and good governance in the country.

Dr Kunbour called on all lawyers to continue to fight for the promotion of justice and rights of Ghanaians, irrespective of gender, class or creed.

Frank Beecham, national president of the GBA, commenting on the controversy surrounding the issue of the creation of new constituencies, called on Ghanaians to debate the matter in a manner that would not degenerate into violence.

“The court is presently seised with the issue and must be allowed to do its work. Perhaps as a people, we should consider, after this general elections, placing a cap on the number of Members of Parliament,” he noted.

Justice Julius Ansah, Justice of the Supreme Court, remarked that in recent years, active public participation in ensuring that the electoral process was devoid of corruption of all forms had increased, adding, “This is a reflection of a growing democracy that ought to be protected”.

“It is in this regard that the legal profession should be seen to be in the forefront in safeguarding our growing democracy, especially when it comes to electioneering,” he indicated.

On his part, Ebenezer Kwaitoo, president of the Western regional bar, told the lawyers that cost of living in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis had risen astronomically within a short space of time that commercial production of oil began.

He called on policymakers to take immediate steps to proactively transform the metropolis and the Western Region as a whole, to a befitting geo-political status.