Friday, February 27, 2015

Ghana:Supreme Court orders EC to suspend all adverts

The Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission to suspend all media adverts, commercials and publicity events concerning the forthcoming District Assembly elections until it determines on Friday February 27, 2015, a case brought before it by a disqualified aspirant.

Benjamin Eyi Mensah, a fisherman aspiring to become the assemblyman for the Eyipeh Electoral Area within the Effutu District of the Central Region, dragged the Electoral Commission to the apex Court over the election body’s refusal to register him as an aspirant for the District Assembly and Unit Committee Elections slated for March 3, 2015.

His disqualification was premised on late submission of his nomination forms. Mr Mensah is being represented in the case by the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Mr Alex Afenyo-Markin.

According to him, all attempts to get the EC to register his client for the local elections have met opposition thus his decision to resort to the Court for redress.

The District Electoral Officer and the Returning Officer reportedly refused to accept Mr Mensah’s forms when he submitted them on Monday December 22, 2014, just a day after the filing of nominations closed.

Mr Mensah’s Lawyer, in a letter written to the EC, said the Commission’s decision to open and close nominations at the said date was inconsistent with, and in contravention of Article 45(b) and 51 of the 1992 Constitution. Mr Afenyo-Markin further stated that the EC’s decision was “not fortified by law.”

In his writ of summon, Mr Mensah prayed the highest Court of the land to “order the Electoral Commission to [re] open nominations to enable the Plaintiff and other law abiding citizens…to file their nomination forms to participate in the upcoming District Assembly Elections.”


Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5fm

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