Former Majority Leader in Parliament and MP for Tema West, Lawyer Abraham Osei Aidoo has disclosed that the petition of the December 7 general election results by ex-President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has no chance of halting the swearing-in of the President-Elect, Nana Akufo-Addo into office come January 7, 2021.
Speaking to Plan B FM’s breakfast show Nkosuo Nsem, the legal expert indicated that in the absence of a formal injunction on the swearing in of the President-Elect, the ceremony will take place on January 7 as required by law.
Lawyer Aidoo however was quick to add that, the most essential point to note is that should there is an injunction on the swearing in of the President-Elect on January 7, then the country will be without a government, according to the 1992 Constitution.
“One thing we have refused to take notice of is, midnight of 6 January, that is from 12 midnight the term of office of President Akuffo Addo ends, as well as Members of parliament too.”
“So, if there is an injunction in such a situation, it implies Ghana will have no President till the swearing in is done and this is very risky to us as a country, so I doubt such an occasion will be stopped by Supreme Court because of an election petition by the opposition party.”
Touching on how long it might take Supreme Court to make a final judgement on the petition, the former Majority Leader pointed out it would be shorter than what was experienced in the 2012 Election Petition by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“Unlike the previous election petition that took a long period for the final judgment, it will take 42 days; approximately 6 weeks this time”, he indicated.
Results of the election as announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) two days after the polls placed the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the lead with an excess of 6.7 million votes representing 51.3 per cent with the NDC’s candidate, John Dramani Mahama at second, amassing in excess of 6.2 million votes representing 47.4 percent of valid votes cast.
The NDC has however, expressed its outright rejection of the results citing fraud amid street protests and nationwide demonstration.
The NDC has subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court to declare the declaration of Akufo-Addo as the President-Elect null and void.
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