Supreme Court ruling has set a dangerous precedent – NPP Guru

“The rule has been set by these 5 Justices per their verdict that be the first to steal, get the Electoral Commission to declare you as president and no court in Ghana can reverse it,” and that is the precedent according to a member of the communication team of NPP, Asamoah Gyamfi, which the Supreme Court Judges who dismissed the petitioners’ case have set for the 2016 and any other general election in the country.

According to him, all claims which have been dismissed by the Supreme Court cannot be corrected because per the ruling, nothing wrong happened in the 2012 election; adding that this majority decision taken by the 5 Justices of the Supreme Court has closed every room for reforms.

Speaking on Okay fm, he noted that the Electoral Commission (EC) can state per the Supreme Court ruling that it (EC) has been cleared of all charges of over-voting, non-signing of pink sheets, no voting without biometric verification claims and, therefore, no need for electoral reforms.

He expressed worry that the 2016 election might witness presiding officers not signing pink sheets and nothing can be done because 5 judges of the Supreme Court have dismissed the constitutional obligation which was stated in the CI 75 mandating presiding officers to sign the pink sheets before counting begins at polling centres.

The NPP communicator found it strange that the Supreme Court accepted the classical definition of over-voting to mean only that when the total vote is more than the registered voters; but dismissed the petitioners’ definition of over-voting when Dr. Afari Gyan openly admitted to that irregularity in the 2012 election.

“…justice has not been served in the 2012 election petition….the danger in the ruling is that it has set a precedent which if care is not taken, can cause mayhem similar to that which rocked Ivory Coast and Kenya when the Supreme Court’s decisions in those countries were improperly interpreted….the judgment has shown that there is no need for rules and regulations in subsequent elections since the CI 75 which was set up to guide the conduct of the 2012 election has been thrown to the dogs,” Asamoah Gyamfi said.