The Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe, John Peter Amewu’s application submitted to the Ho High Court to suspend the court’s decision on the electoral petition concerning the disenfranchisement of inhabitants of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke, and Lolobi (SALL) in the 2020 general elections has been denied by the court during its recent hearing.
This was in response to an application filed by the lawyers for the petitioners, Tsatsu Tsikata, based on admissions made by the Electoral Commission (EC).
In response, the court granted permission to Mr. Tsikata to move his application for leave to withdraw the request for judgment based on the admissions of the Electoral Commission and denied Mr Amewu’s motion to stay the verdict, which had not yet been brought.
The lawyer for the petitioner, Mr. Tsikata further asked the court to postpone the hearing of his application to a convenient time, pointing out that Mr Sekyi Boampong, the counsel for the Electoral Commission had been involved in an accident.
According to Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata, notwithstanding his and his client’s desire for a speedy trial, it believes justice would not be served if his most recent application was considered without the presence of the counsel for the Electoral Commission, the first respondent in the trial, who was involved in an accident.
In view of Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata’s request, both lawyers for the petitioners and Mr. Amewu urged the court to adjourn to allow the counsel to the Electoral Commission, the first respondent to be present before the court proceeds with the trail.
Despite the presiding judge, Justice Acheampong’s argument that Mr. Tsikata moves his motion in the absence of the counsel for the Electoral Commission, as the counsel for the Electoral Commission had initially opposed the motion that Mr. Tsikata sought to withdraw and also in the interest of an expeditious adjudication of the matter, Mr. Tsikata argued that it was proper to have the counsel for the Electoral Commission present before his application can be moved.
Ultimately, Justice Acheampong yielded and adjourned the hearing to January 19, 2024, to consider Mr. Tsikata’s application with the expectation that by that time the counsel for the Electoral Commission would be available in the court.
The presiding judge, Justice Owoahene Acheampong, was scheduled to rule on the lawyer to the petitioner, the venerable Lawyer Tsikata’s, application on notice to withdraw the initial motion filed for judgment based on admissions made by the Electoral Commission on December 21, 2023, however, the proceedings were interrupted by an application from Mr. Amewu’s lawyer.
Among other things, the application asked for permission to file a defense as the second respondent to the petition and to halt the court’s decision on the electoral petition concerning the disenfranchisement of inhabitants of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke, and Lolobi (SALL) in the 2020 general elections.
The matter was then postponed until January 9, 2024, to have allow Mr. Amewu’s counsel, Benedict Kofitse, to submit his application to overturn the decision.
It is recalled that on December 2020 Electoral Commission announced that voters in the Guan District will only vote in the Presidential Election but not in the Parliamentary Election in the Buem Constituency.
The decision by the Electoral Commission of Ghana prevented the inhabitants of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke, and Lolobi (SALL) to vote in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
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