The Supreme Court has adjourned sine dine the hearing of the preliminary joinder motion filed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) seeking to join the petition by the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; his running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, challenging the Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) declaration of President John Mahama as winner of the December 7 presidential poll as a respondent.
This was after lawyers for the petitioners raised objection to the composition of the panel of judges sitting on the case. They argued that the composition of the court, presided over by Justice William Atuguba, is skewed against them.
Lawyers for the three petitioners had asked for the hearing on the composition in chambers or in camera but the Court asked the NPP to raise its challenge to the panel composition in a motion.
The adjournment of the case is to allow the petitioners to file their motion formally stating their case against the constitution of the panel.
Nine Justices of the Supreme Court were scheduled to sit on the case including Justice Gbadegbe, Justice Julius Ansah, Justice Annin-Yeboah, Justice Owusu, Justice Adinyirah, Justice Akoto Bamfo, Justice Bamford Bonnie. It was chaired by Justice William Atuguba.
NDC’s Joinder
The NDC’s supplementary affidavit, which was filed at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday and deposed to on behalf of the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said, “A denial of the applicant the opportunity to be joined so as to be heard in respect of this election would be a denial of the constitutional rights of the applicant.”
According to the supplementary affidavit, the NDC had represented its interest, that of its presidential candidate and parliamentary candidates “in the deliberations of the Electoral Commission (EC) with all political parties and candidates in connection with the elections” and, for that reason, the party had the right to be joined to the petition.
The supplementary affidavit further pointed out that President Mahama was selected as a presidential candidate on the ticket of the NDC after the death of Professor John Evans Atta Mills and subsequently stood on the ticket of the party in the December 2012 elections.
It said the NDC “deployed throughout all the polling stations agents to represent the interests of its candidates in both presidential and parliamentary elections”.