Alex Afenyo-Markin, lawyer for aspiring Assemblyman whose case led to the suspension of the District Assembly elections, has blamed the Electoral Commission (EC) for the inconvenience.
Benjamin Eyi Mensah, a fisherman sued the EC to court for preventing him from filing his nomination to contest in the Eyipeh Electoral Area, before the maturation of the Constitutional Instrument (CI) 85.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Y1HsbqtI8N3dV3ChcDdVaaLGOVGPdA5u”]The seven Supreme Court panel of judges led by Justice William Atuguba on Friday ruled in favour of the fisherman and declared the elections which was fixed for Tuesday March 3 as “unconstitutional.”
“The EC could have avoided all these, they could have saved the nation the cost if they had heeded to our advice…and responded to our petitions,” Afenyo-Markin said in an interview on Eyewitness News.
He urged the Electoral Commission to be circumspect and cautioned the EC “not to take its mandate in the constitution so lightly, It’s a very sensitive mandate.”
The Supreme Court declared that the law with which the EC wanted to hold the elections, CI 85, was not in force at the time nominations were closed.
Afenyo Markin further advised the EC that, “They should tread with caution, respect Ghanaians and respect the laws of this country. They are referee and as referee you have to act in a manner that your judgment will be accepted by all. 2016 is just around the corner it’s their duty to follow due process in ensuring that Ghana’s peace is maintained and cemented.”
The court has therefore ordered the EC to conduct the election process on a fresh note.
Following the ruling the Electoral Commission subsequently issued a statement stating that,“with regard to the maturity of C.I 85, the District Level Elections and all activities connected with them have been suspended forthwith until further notice.”
Afenyo-Markin who is also the Member of Parliament for the Effutu constituency in the Central Region, has commended the Supreme Court for ruling in his client’s favour and said the court’s actions will increase trust in the judiciary.
Meanwhile, government in 2014 gave the EC a total of GH¢55,455,377.83 to organize the exercise.
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana