CJ unveils manual on election adjudication
The Judicial Service yesterday launched a book on election adjudication, with a declaration by the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, that the Judiciary was adequately prepared to meet its constitutional obligations in the upcoming general election.
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According to her, the Judiciary, as custodians and “guardians of the rule of law”, was ready to “guide the nation to peaceful, orderly and credible election”.
“It is a constitutional responsibility to which, as faithful arbiters, we have pledged our unflinching loyalty, heart, soul and mind. We are assured that this is the only genuine path to a further consolidation of our democracy,’’ she said.
Power outage
The event, held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), was, however, carried out in darkness following a power outage.
Apart from the Chief Justice, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei; the Attorney-General, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong; the British High Commissioner, Mr Jon Benjamin, justices of the superior courts and other dignitaries attended the event.
The Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, the British High Commissioner and other speakers had to read their speeches with the help of light provided by a mobile phone.
Interestingly, the power plant at the AICC could not be used to alleviate the situation because, according to some of the workers, “there was no fuel to power it’’.
To provide some form of lighting, workers of the AICC placed rechargeable lamps at vantage points in the auditorium.
Joke
Despite the darkness, the Judicial Service, the organisers of the event, was able to steer the programme to a successful end.
Participants even managed some laughter following a joke by Mr Benjamin which linked elections to darkness.
He said the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office had asked him whether he had a fair idea about the election results or he was being kept in the dark.
Election adjudication manual
The third edition of the manual on election adjudication was put together by the Judicial Service to provide guidelines on the various laws governing public elections and the legal remedies that can be used to resolve electoral disputes.
As part of the launch, copies of the book were presented to public institutions, the media and other participants in the event.
Launching the book, Mrs Justice Wood said the manual was not meant for only judges and lawyers but also the public.
“I encourage all sectors and stakeholders in the electoral process, including the media, to acquaint themselves with the content,’’ she said.
The Chief Justice added that electoral disputes were inevitable and the law courts were expected to amicably resolve those disputes.
She praised the judges who sat on the various suits that arose after the disqualification of some presidential aspirants by the EC.
“They deserve our thanks for the manner in which they averted a possible constitutional crisis in the manner in which they conducted the cases,” she said.
In her address, Mrs Appiah-Opong said the Judiciary had, over the years, shown strong commitment and the readiness to perform its role with regard to electoral disputes.
‘Say no to violence’
For his part, Mr Benjamin called on politicians and political parties to eschew violence and encourage their supporters to do same.
“All political parties should strongly urge their activists and supporters to refrain from, and, indeed, actively condemn, any violence, incitement or intimidation which only serves to undermine democracy,’’ he said.