Africa-Press – Ghana. Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has outlined reasons the apex court did not hear the injunction application filed by the National Democratic Congress and four other political parties earlier than October 17, 2023.
The applicants on September 7, 2023 sought to restrain the Electoral Commission from carrying out the recently held voter registration exercise. Made up of the NDC, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), All People’s Congress, Liberal Party of Ghana and the Great Consolidated Popular Party, they sued the Electoral Commission at the Supreme Court over its decision to restrict voter registration centers to its district offices.
The suit was scheduled to be heard on October 17, a decision which baffled the applicants.
But explaining the decision in court today, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo who presided over a 5-member panel hearing the case, noted that the case couldn’t be set on an earlier date, because the Apex court doesn’t sit during August and September due to the legal vacation.
“The Supreme Court (SC) doesn’t sit on vacation. There are no rules for SC to sit during the months of August and September. That is why the application was fixed for the 17th of October, 2023. Discussions of fixing it for today should be premised on the SC not being able to sit during vacations except by a special fiat,” she explained to the court.
Voter registration exercise: Supreme Court strikes out injunction by NDC, 4 other parties
Lead counsel for the Electoral Commission, Justin Amenuvor told the court that after filing the injunction, the parties hadn’t filed any statement of case.
“I believe that they are all satisfied with the exercise that went on. Till date, there has not been any statement of case. Just a writ and application.”
NDC, four other parties sue EC over upcoming limited voter registration
Ruling on the case, the Apex court struck out the application by the five political parties as there was no representation for the applicants to move their application
Deputy Chairperson of the Commission in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare was however in court.
The five-member panel consisted of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, Justice Baffoe Bonnie, Justice Mensa Bonsu, Justice Barbara Ackah-Yensu and Justice Ernest Gyawu.
Limited Voter Registration: NDC says suit against EC first in series of action
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission ended the limited voter registration on Monday, October 2, having carried out the exercise nationwide across all of its 268 district offices.
The exercise, which was meant for eligible Ghanaian voters, forms part of the EC’s preparations for the 2024 general elections.
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