The Supreme Court has ordered the
Electoral Commission to suspend its
intended nationwide registration
process which was to begin on Friday
July 25, 2014.
The highest court has slated July 30,
2014 to give a substantive ruling on
writs brought by three plaintiffs
against the EC- writs which were
later joined into one.
The court also ordered the
Commission to stop running adverts
of its impending national voters
registration exercise.
The three plaintiffs- Abu Ramadan of
the PNC, Danso Acheampong and one
other person were seeking to nullify
an intended registration process.
Abu Ramadan who did not
understand why the EC must use the
National Health Insurance Cards, as
part of the registration process,
sought the power of the court to
declare that modality by the EC as
illegal.
He also sought for an interlocutory
injunction to be placed on the entire
registration process.
The judges who sat on the case were
unhappy with the Respondent- EC-
for running adverts about the
registration at a time when an
injunction had been filed.
Justice Jones Dotse described the
act as an impunity, Joy News' Anny
Osabutey reported. He also
reprimanded the Commission and
ordered it to withdraw the adverts.
Lawyer for the EC, James Quarshie
Idun, described the adverts as an
oversight and assured they would no
longer be run.
According to lawyer Samson Lardy
Ayenini who was also present at the
hearing, the judges did not want to
rule on the injunction case when it
was only a day to go for the intended
registration process- they would
rather rule on the substantive case
brought by the three men.
After hearing arguments for and
against writ, the judges agreed to
give their final ruling on July 30 but
ordered the EC to suspend the
intended registration process until
after the ruling.
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