Voters Register: Supreme Court Adjourns NDC Judgment Indefinitely

The Supreme Court has adjourned its judgement in the case brought by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) challenging the decision of the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new register of voters.

This was after the court merged the NDC’s case with another one filed by a private citizen which is also challenging the compilation of the new register set to begin on June 30, 2020.

The Supreme Court had set June 23, 2020, to give its judgement in the suit brought by the NDC after the court gave lawyers for the party, the EC and the Attorney General to make their oral arguments in court last week.

But another writ was filed before the court challenging the EC over the same matter and Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame subsequently filed an application urging the court to merge the two cases since they were essentially seeking the same reliefs.

The court granted the application and ordered lawyer for Takyi-Banson to file his statement of case by midday Monday, June 22.

The Attorney General’s Department and the EC have up to close of Tuesday June 23, 2020 to file their respective statements of case.

The case was adjourned to June 24 for hearing.

Writs

The NDC sued the EC claiming that the Commission is enjoined to compile the register of voters only once at the inception of the constitution, and not on multiple occasions.

It was also challenging the decision of the EC to exclude the old voter ID cards as proof of citizenship.

The party later abandoned the claim that the EC can compile the register only once and subsequently reviews it after the Supreme Court asked counsel to choose which of the two reliefs the party is seeking.

The new suit filed by Mark Takyi-Banson is also claiming that the EC is mandated by the 1992 Constitution to compile a register of voters only once and thereafter revise it periodically.

He is asking the Supreme Court to order the EC to include the old voter ID cards as well as birth certificates as basis for of identification.

BY Gibril Abdul Razak

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