Professor Ransford Van Gyampo, a Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has intimated that the legal counsels of both parties for the election hearing are being overly partisan and polarized.
Speaking during an interview, he espoused that the various legal counsels were being partisan on matters relating to the court proceedings instead of being professional adding that, they should be sensitive to the situation in which the nation finds itself in now, rather than being partisan.
He further lamented about the behavior of counsels, saying that it does not augur well with their professionalism.
“If you look at their behaviour, especially the counsel for the respondent, their next appointment depends on how partisan they sound. If you also look at the behaviour of the counsel for the petitioner, it is like well, we are also doing these things to position ourselves in the sense that, in future in case our candidate becomes President our next appointment will depend on that.”
Dr. Gyampo also noted that, their behaviour is not in the interest of the people describing it as a polarized one. He then urged the various legal practitioners to respect the fact and understand that, no nation can develop without cohesion.
“Let the processes take their course, the court decide, and if you want to proffer education, come and give us the education. But let it be free from the needless partisan insinuations, innuendo’s and assertions and the other things they say which plays on the emotional keyboard of the constituents and the populace.”
He further iterated the need for the various stakeholders involved in the petition to act professionally arguing that, if they continue at such, the goal of cohesion of the nation will not be possible.
He then argued that, in the quest to explain the court proceeding to the general public, there is always a professional way to go about it, instead of partisan ways and the numerous insinuations attached to it. He further noted that what both legal counsels are doing is rather deepening the polarization in the body of politics.
Dr. Gyampo further stated that, if this behaviour is allowed to go on, then the nation will be in for trouble. This he espoused that, the partisan nature of the reports will cause people to belief that, there is something fishy going on with regards to the election petition proceedings.
Touching on the petition and the effects it has on the country’s democracy, Dr. Gyampo averred that with the stance taken by both parties to resolve the issue in court, it was rather an encouraging step which is showing the advancement of the nation in deepening its democracy and also in climbing high on the democratic ladder of progress.
“It is good, so long as whenever we have dispute we don’t fight, we don’t kill ourselves but we resort to the law court, tells you that we are maturing in terms of democracy.”
