Sacricing The Supreme Court To Massage Political Ego

In 2012, I was part of the young men who supported the NPP’s election petition with emotional ammunition. Like every party follower without details of the evidence I joined the chorus” we no go gree”. To wit, Dr Afari Dean has stolen the verdict of the people. However, events at the Supreme Court changed my understanding of election and judicial processes.

Yes! Indeed, the 2013 petition uncovered many limitations in our electoral processes. Nonetheless, the infractions that the petitioners 22,000 collated pink sheet identified could not support the allegations that the Dr. Afari Djans EC intentionally demarcated a large portion of the people's vote to Mr. John Dramani Mahama.

After a highly contested petition amidst a tensely emotional evaporative environment, the Judges of the Supreme Court’s decision was unequivocally simple, straight, and clear. “You cannot win an election based on technicalities”. This judgement, like the biblical 10 commandments has become a benchmark for future election petitions. For the lawyers, it served as precedent (an authority for future similar legal issues). The legislatures may call it conventions but to the lay man like me it has become a life example for which every petition must be measured.

Thus, I find it amazingly amazing, that the man (Mr. Mahama) who benefited from this decision will amass confidence to petition the same SC over similar issues with even no shred of evidence except the verbal mistake made by the EC branded in the name of constitutional breach.

Assuming that the petitioners camp had been able to even gather a bag load of technical defects in a form of evidence, Is Mr . Mahama telling the SC today that he was wrongly made a president through their judgement in 2013.

See! The strategy not to concede defeat from the Mahama camp was badly cooked right from day one. I wrote inAugust 2020 that even if Jesus Christ is made the EC boss Mahama will still not accept the results because that remains his highest bet for becoming the party’s next candidate.

But of course, one Cannot begrudge Mahama for embarking on such a strategy. And indeed, as it is established that any idiot can go to court. But it appears that in pursuit of massaging their deflated ego resulting from electoral defeat, politicians are sacrificing the courts.

In a country where 15,000 people follows a mad man on social media, it is not difficulty to throw the judges under the bus to appease foot soldiers. And that seems to be the latest unconventional approach.

Thus, the begging question is how long will some politicians continue to set up SC judges for abuse and insults in the name of electoral petition ?

How long will the SC accept anything as an elections petition?

Will the SC be bold to bare its teeth on March 4th?

In my perspective, the SC judges have the opportunity to use tomorrows judgement to stop the electoral petition nuisance or allow it to continue as a norm.

Adios.

Nana Kwame Ofori

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