Defence Network for Democracy(DEFNED) has critically monitored with keen interest the unfolding trajectories of legal tussle between the EC and some disqualified Presidential Aspirants in the Law Courts which necessitated the Electoral Commission in filing a motion in the Supreme Court with the aim of bringing finality to the matter leading to a landmark ruling by Ghana’s Supreme Court upholding an Accra High Court’s ruling which ordered the EC to allow the Progressive People’s Party’s (PPP) Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom correct anomalies on his Presidential Nomination Form which had been cited as the basis for his disqualification.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in its ruling on Monday 7th November,2016 vehemently ordered and further directed the EC to extend the nomination period to allow all the affected Presidential Aspirants to make the necessary corrections on their Nomination Forms to enable them contest the upcoming December polls.
DEFNED , has further observed with keen interest the upsurge of numerous allegations and counter allegations of bias and malice made by key Opposition Parties and other Interest Groups in the Country against the Electoral Commission in its operational activities calculated to give an undue advantage to the ruling Party over the Opposition Parties in the upcoming General Election.
DEFNED , is hereby seriously calling on the Electoral Commission, the main Arbiter and Facilitator of the upcoming December Polls to wholeheartedly comply with the orders and directions of the Supreme Court of Ghana to the latter and further take immediate steps to purge itself of the suspicion of bias and malice against the Opposition Parties contesting the upcoming December polls since any blatant attempt by the EC to resort to hostility and malice against some of the initially disqualified Presidential Aspirants and any lackadaisical stance by Electoral Commission to comply with the ruling of the Supreme Court has high devastating consequences on Ghana’s maturing Democracy which has the propensity to cast a slur on Ghana’s Rule of Law thereby plunging this Country into chaos and insecurity .
DEFNED, wish to categorically state with firm conviction that, any lackadaisical posture coupled with any ambush litigation that will be adopted by the Electoral Commission and its refusal to humbling comply with the ruling of Ghana’s Supreme Court will spell doom for Ghana’s Democracy and blatant disrespect to Ghana’s Rule of Law enshrined in the 1992 Constitution which has the potential to further trigger another form of legal action in the Court of Law against the EC by any aggrieved and dissatisfied Presidential Aspirant.
In the light of the above, DEFNED is strongly calling on the Electoral Commission to wholeheartedly comply with the recent ruling of the Supreme Court and take immediate steps in implementing the orders and directions given to it by Ghana’s Supreme Court and further purge itself of the suspicion of bias and malice against key Opposition Parties in the upcoming December polls since the EC has the constitutional obligation under the 1992 Constitution to conduct a free, unbiased ,transparent and peaceful elections where all Parties in the electoral process are treated equally before the Law thereby ensuring the conduct of a participative and inclusive democratic process in a sustainable democratic society like Ghana. DEFNED therefore has the constitutional obligation under Article 3(4) of the 1992 Constitution to defend Ghana’s maturing Democracy and the 1992 Republican Constitution and that , DEFNED will not allow any Person or Group of Persons or any State Institution to take actions that will plunge this Country into any form of crisis and insecurity. And that , DEFNED has the moral and civic obligation to defend Ghana’s Democracy and the Rule of Law.
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(Via: NewsGhana)
