[ 2021-03-04 ]

Election Petition: IDEG urges peace post-Supreme Court verdict
The Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG)
hopes for a more serene mood in the country even
after the Supreme Court’s final judgement on the
2020 election petition case on Thursday.

While urging calm ahead of the ruling, it is also
urging the citizenry to maintain peace and
orderliness no matter the outcome of the court’s
processes.

In a statement, IDEG underscored the need for
post-verdict stability to consolidate the
country’s politico-democratic credentials.

The political think-tank also identified various
groups and stakeholders which ought to play a
major role to ensure that Ghana is not thrown into
a state of disarray after the ruling.

“We urge fellow citizens, political parties and
our friends from the media, to remain calm and
uphold the peace as we await the decision of the
Supreme Court. Let us not forget that in this
verdict, democracy should be the ultimate
winner”, the statement said.

It pleaded with the media, in particular, to be
circumspect in its reportage and ensure that they
do not become platforms for hate speech and
insult.

IDEG also tasked the two main political parties in
the dispute – the governing New Patriotic Party
(NPP) and the opposition National Democratic
Congress (NDC) to admonish their followers from
engaging in chaotic acts that will threaten
national cohesion.

“Further, we call on the NPP and NDC to live up
to expectation and encourage their supporters to
avoid engaging in violent and aggressive conduct
that would endanger national peace, security and
threaten our democratic gains.”

“Regardless of the outcome, we must all remember
to put Ghana first and take the necessary actions
to guarantee that our nation does not plunge into
political turmoil”, portions of the statement
read.

For IDEG, leadership of both the NDC and NPP must
work together to undertake the longstanding
constitutional reforms in order to eradicate the
root causes of vigilante violence in Ghana and the
winner-takes-all system as committed to in the
2020 Presidential Peace Pact.

Meanwhile, IDEG wants security agencies to
“ensure law and order as well as the safety of
citizens through professional enforcement of our
country’s laws. ”

The Election Petition
Ghana’s Supreme Court will tomorrow, Thursday,
March 4, 2021, deliver its judgement on the
December 2020 presidential election.

The National Democratic Congress’ John Dramani
Mahama took the Electoral Commission (EC) and
President Nana Akufo-Addo to the court following
the 9th December 2020 declaration of Nana Addo
Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the winner of the poll.

Mr. Mahama, who is a former President of the
Republic, contended in his petition that President
Akufo-Addo did not meet the constitutional
threshold for election to the high office of
President, and, that the Electoral Commission’s
declaration of him as President was invalid.

He had urged the court amidst strong opposition
from lawyers for President Akufo-Addo and the
Electoral Commission, to nullify the declaration
and to cause a re-run between him and President
Akufo-Addo.

The Supreme Court is expected to give its verdict
on the five issues from the pleadings for
determination.

Ahead of the judgement, the Ghana Journalist
Association (GJA) has admonished its members to
exude professionalism in their reportage on the
final verdict of the Supreme Court in the election
petition case.

President of the GJA, Roland Affail Monney, called
for non-sensational and non-partisan reportage.

“We are praying that there will be nothing
[tragic] about tomorrow’s coverage of the
judgment of the Supreme Court case. We want you to
enhance the coverage of the hearings.”

Source - Citinewsroom

... go Back