Private Legal and Conflict Resolution Consultant, Martin Amidu has said that the Electoral Commissioner is using technical grounds to render nugatory the decision and orders of the Supreme Court, where the Court ordered that “in appropriate cases to afford candidates the opportunity to comply with regulation ((2) of the Public Election Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 94)”.
According to him Madam Charlotte Osei is taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s ruling to wager on the fact that she is entitled by the Court’s ruling within the new nomination period to put forth alleged new and profound errors that will make it impossible for even Nduom and those others who have judgments in their favour, to alter or amend the specific errors for which they obtained their respective judgments in the High Court.
Read Below full Statement from Martin Amidu:
The determination of the Electoral Commissioner as the Returning Officer for the Presidential
Elections to still rig the elections by disqualifying all the 13 disqualified candidates in spite of
the Supreme Court’s ruling of yesterday, 7th November 2016, must be obvious to all reasonable
people in the new grounds of discovered defects in their nomination forms the Commissioner
submitted to each of the candidates after the Court’s decision and orders were made.
The defects in Nduom’s nomination forms, according to press reports, have now moved from one (1) to one hundred and five (105). This is in spite of the fact that the case of Ex Parte Papa Kwesi Nduom in the High Court for which the Commissioner went to the Supreme Court was decided upon the one defect conveyed to Nduom in writing by the Commissioner dated 10th October 2016 which was an exhibit in the case.
The change in the number of defects allegedly now detected by the Commissioner after her
letters of 10th October 2016 to each of the candidates shows that she is using the Supreme Court
ruling to change the goal post in her determination to disqualify all the 13 candidates and permit
the rigging of the 2016 Presidential Elections.
I take the view that she is again taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s ruling to wager on the fact that she is entitled by the Court’s ruling within the new nomination period to put forth alleged new and profound errors that will make it impossible for even Nduom and those others who have judgments in their favour to alter or amend the specific errors for which they obtained their respective judgments in the High Court.
I am of the view that she cannot do that, based upon the Supreme Court’s ruling even though the
Court quashed the order of the High Court directing the Commissioner to allow Papa Kwesi
Nduom permission to make alterations and amendments necessary to correct the double
subscription to his nomination paper.
This is because Nduom’s action in the High Court was for a hearing specifically to correct the double subscription to his nomination paper and not new ones. That is the hearing the Supreme Court ordered for Nduom and all the other candidates who received letters pinpointing their errors on or around 10th October 2016.
The Commissioner appears to be relying upon a tricky part of the Supreme Court ruling in
which, after quashing the order of the High Court permitting Nduom to make alterations and
amendments necessary to correct the double subscription to his nomination paper, the Court also
ordered that “in appropriate cases to afford candidates the opportunity to comply with regulation
((2) of the Public Election Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 94)”.
I do not think the Court intended to go beyond the subsisting judgments in favour of some of the applicants and those without judgments to allow the Commissioner to change the goal posts anew.
Nduom and the others may rush to the Supreme Court again for interpretation of its decision of
yesterday. My worry is that the Commissioner is still deliberately determined to rig the elections
by disqualifying the 13 candidates and is wagering on the fact that before the Court interprets its
decision there would be no further time left before the close of today 8th November 2016.
I wait to see whether or not the candidates have sufficient time to apply to the Supreme Court today for interpretation and whether or not there would be enough time to consider them before the close of day.
I fear the Commissioner is determined to render nugatory the decision and orders of the Supreme
Court on technical grounds.
Let us wait for how the Supreme Court will rise to the occasion of this new twist to its ruling should any applications be made to it today.
In the meantime patrioticcitizens should continue defending the Constitution by vigilantly watching the rigging conduct of the Commissioner in this election year.
Source: Martin A, B. K. Amidu
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
If there were even 3 people with Martin Amidu's intelligent in NDC, things would have been different in the country now. Look at Yamin, talking about pastors who eats fufu. Solomom Nkansah, Kofi Adams, Koku Anyidaho, Allotey Jacobs - just listen to their utterances and one won't need any further proof of their calibre. Lord have mercy!
I think EC chair is bent on plunging the nation into chaos or creating unneccessary tension which may lead to anachy so as to allow corrupt and incompetent Mahama to hold on to power.Ghanaians must rise up against this ***barred word***.
All your comments dont make s3nse and you keep typing them. If Martin was to be your relative like you wont even have time to support NDC and talk f00oo00oo00l1sh
Will anything wise come out of you? Always here speaking F00OLISHLY. An educated illiterate. People like you are dangerous to the society and must be locked or you are one of 20 psychiatric inmates just released bcos the nurses are on strike? Oh yeah! you are definitely one of them.
I'M HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS MAN CALLED MARTIN AMIDU. IF AN APPLICANT COULDN'T FILL HIS FORMS PROPERLY AND THE EC IS INSISTING ON THE RIGHT THING, HOW WILL THAT LEAD SOMEONE TO SAY THAT THE EC WANTS TO RIG THE ELECTIONS. STUP.IDITY AT ITS PEAK!
YOU MUST BE SUFFERING FROM CANIS LUPUS FAMILIARIS MALITIS. SO I SUGGEST YOU GO FOR A PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION. OR AT BEST, YOU CAN REDUCE THE INTAKE OF THAT SPECIES.
Martin thank you. As a matter of fact I have enough respect for you than the president of ghana. Rig Rig Rigging, is on going but the people of ghana are very alert and we will vote for Nana Addo to come and save us from this valley of hopelessness.