The NDC and four other parties’ request for an injunction against the Electoral Commission was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The Electoral Commission was sued by five political parties, including the NDC, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the All People’s Congress, the Liberal Party of Ghana, and the Great Consolidated Popular Party, in the Supreme Court on September 7 over its choice to limit voter registration centers to its district offices.
The parties asserted that the EC’s decision might prevent many eligible voters from registering to vote in public elections. In order to stop the exercise until the main case was heard, they filed an injunction. However, the Commission ignored the court order and continued with the exercise.
On October 7, 2023, neither the applicants nor their attorneys were present in court when the case was called.
Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission in charge of Corporate Services, Dr. Bossman Asare was however, present with their lawyer, Justin Amenuvor.
The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, who presided over the 5-member panel, 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 doesn’t sit on vacation. There are no rules for SC to sit during the month of August and September. That is why the application was fixed for 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.
The court fixed October 17, 2023 to hear the suit against the Electoral Commission after the five political parties filed the suit on September 7, 2023.
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 off case. Just a writ and application.”
Ruling on the case, the Apex court struck out the application by the five political parties.
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.
