[ 2021-03-02 ]

NDC urges calm ahead of election petition verdict
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)
has called on its supporters and sympathisers to
remain calm in the run-up to the Supreme Court's
verdict on the December 2020 election petitionon
on Thursday, March 4, 2021.








The country's apex court is expected to deliver
judgement on a petition filed by John Dramani
Mahama, NDC's Flagbearer in the 2020 Presidential
election on Thursday. He is praying the court to
order the Electoral Commission to organise a
run-off between himself and Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo.

In a statement issued and signed by Mr Johnson
Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of the party
after a meeting by its National Executive
Committee (NEC) and copied to the Ghana News
Agency (GNA) in Accra, the party urged its
supporters to continue to remain calm and resolute
as Ghanaians waited for the verdict.

"It is the prayer of NEC that the Supreme Court
will uphold and promote probity, accountability
and transparency, and give effect to the will of
the people expressed on 7th December, 2020 in its
judgement on the matter.

"The party will on its part, stop at nothing to
rid the Jean Mensah-led Electoral Commission of
its partisan biases and prejudices, and ensure
transparency and fairness in national elections,"
the statement said.

The party has, however, condemned "legal threats"
issued by the Judicial Service against some media
houses over what the service said was the
publishing of "hateful, indecent and offensive
statements against judges."

It said the party found the letter from the
Service as an effort which sought to limit the
right to free speech and press freedom.

"We find the letter from the Judicial Service an
affront to free speech and press freedom which
threatens the pillars of democracy that the people
of Ghana have nurtured over the years

"NEC holds the view that, the Judicial Service has
no right or authority to threaten anyone, much
less the Media, for performing their
constitutionally mandated duties.

"We condemn it in no uncertain terms and call on
the Judicial Service to withdraw same without
delay, as a sign of respect for the democratic
culture of free speech and press freedom," it
added.

It, therefore, urged the Judicial Service to use
the constitutionally laid down procedure to deal
with specific infractions of media ethics and
laws.

Source - GNA

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