As the Supreme Court gives it verdict on the election petition today, a coalition of eight political parties is calling on the parties involved to accept the verdict. The coalition urged supporters of the party which may emerge winner of the petition, to be measured in their celebration, while the loser must also endeavour to be gracious in defeat and resist the temptation to destabilise the nation through violent protests.
Explaining the need for the parties to accept the verdict in a press conference, Mr Jacob Osei- Yeboah, running mate to the Independent Candidate in the 2020 election, who spoke on behalf of the coalition, said that accepting the verdict will help avoid political instability in the country.
“We, the Coalition of Political Parties, urge the two leading political parties in Ghana, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress, who are key stakeholders in the ongoing election petition, to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court in good faith.
“This will be critical in avoiding the pitfall of political instability which has typically revolved around the institutional failures of countries to balance partisan interest with national interest.”
It will be recalled that in the aftermath of the declaration of results of the 2020 presidential election by the Electoral Commission, Mr. John Mahama, flagbearer of the NDC, dissatisfied with the outcome, decided to seek redress at the Supreme Court.
This is not the first time in the history of the country that a presidential election has been challenged at the Supreme Court. The first occurred in 2013, when the New Patriotic Party challenged the 2012 election.
Mr Osei-Yeboah noted that the survival and sustenance of our democracy will largely hinge on how the citizenry, particularly, the petitioner and respondents, respond or react to the verdict by the Justices of the Supreme Court.
“It is important for the good people of Ghana, particularly, the petitioner and respondents, and their supporters to recognise the need to do more to safeguard the security of the state after the Supreme Court ruling.”
He said the verdict of the Supreme Court should bring finality to the election petition. Mr Osei- Yeboah said the coalition was aware of the dangers that protracted electoral disputes can pose to the nation.
“The possibility of such electoral dispute to degenerate into political instability is one that cannot be lost on us as a people,” hence, the call on the two parties to accept the verdict.
The once independent presidential candidate said that Ghana was surrounded by countries in the West African sub-region whose stability has been severely compromised by election disputes which turned violent, and “we cannot afford to join such an unenviable list of politically unstable countries in contemporary times.”
He called on the parties to urge their supporters to accept the ruling of the Supreme Court whatever the outcome maybe.
He also indicated that the Coalition’s call for the two parties to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court was not being made without recourse to the need for justice to be served. However, “as parties who believe in the institutions of state, we are convinced that our Lordships, the Justices of the Supreme Court, will give a ruling which will first, uphold truth and justice, and second, reflect the true outcome of the 2020 general elections.”
The Coalition also called on all well-meaning Ghanaians, religious bodies, Civil Society Organizations among others to add their voices to the clarion call for peace after the Supreme Court ruling.
“Let us forge forward in peace, for that is the surest way to deepen our democracy, diminish obstacles in our march towards development and build a resilient country that future generations will be proud of.”
The post ‘NPP, NDC must accept Supreme Court’s decision’ appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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