Supreme Court’s decision to televise petition not based on NDC’s motion - Yaw Buaben Asamoa

The Former MP for Adentan Constituency, Yaw Buaben Asamoa says the NDC should not be credited for the Supreme Court’s decision to allow for the 2020 election petition to be televised.

According to him, the Supreme Court has allowed the broadcast of the proceedings because that decision had already been enshrined in the new rules of the Court on election petition.

He told Sefa Danquah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show: “Tsatsu came in late and when he came in, he motioned that he wanted to make an application for the petition to be televised. He was not aware that the court had already allowed the petition to be televised. As he was motioning that, the TV cameras were already on him. The court made him aware that it has already been televised. He was saying that in 2012 someone requested for it so he is also requesting for it. But that meant that he did not read the CI 99 that he used before he came. He didn’t even come early. Some are reporting that the court granted permission based on NDC’s application but that wasn’t the case. It was a moot”.

Background

The Supreme Court has decided to allow the 2020 election petition to be broadcast live on national television.

Prior to this decision by the Supreme Court, Mr Mahama through his lawyers had filed a motion requesting a live transmission of the court’s proceedings.

This, according to the petitioners, is in the interest of fairness as was done during the 2012 election petition.

However, in the preliminary hearing of the case today, the Supreme Court stated that it had already taken a decision to allow a live telecast of the petition.

This renders the request made by the petitioner and flagbearer of the NDC to have it telecast moot.