Ghana .........A member of the NDC's legal team, Nana Ato
Dadzie, has urged lawyers representing the petitioners challenging the
December 7 polls to render an unqualified apology to the Supreme Court,
especially to Mr Justice William Atuguba for its action that sought to
damage the integrity of the judges of the court.
Speaking to the
Daily Graphic in connection with a comment he made on Joy FM's Newsfile
programme on Saturday, Nana Dadzie said, "The NPP would have been
gravely unfair and done extreme injustice to Justice Atuguba and the
Judiciary as a whole if it failed to apologise."
The legal teams of both parties met at the Supreme Court on Thursday, January 10, 2013 to argue out the case in which the NDC has applied to join the NPP's petition challenging the results of the December 2012 presidential election but the hearing could not come off, as counsel for the NPP raised an issue with the composition of the panel.
The matter was adjourned to enable lawyers for the petitioners to file a formal application stating why they objected to the composition of the nine-member panel.
The nine-member court was made up of Mr Justice William Atuguba (Presiding), Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Ms Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Mr Justice Annin Yeboah, Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice G. S. Gbadegbe and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo.
But the next day, the NPP retreated, withdrawing its opposition to the composition of the court.
In a letter addressed to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, it stated its decision not to continue with its earlier objection to ensure a speedy determination of its substantive petition before the court.
According to Nana Dadzie, the NPP was given the opportunity to prove its case after it had made allegations that could injure the reputation of the judges but it failed to do so and rather decided to back out.
The action by the NPP, he stated, in addition to the utterances of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema East, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, before the court sat and the remarks made by the party's General Secretary, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, who allegedly threatened to expose Mr Justice Atuguba, warranted an apology to the highest court of the land.
Earlier on Newsfile, Nana Dadzie had argued thus: "If you've changed your mind, the proper thing to do is to go before the nine judges and say: 'Lord, we are on our knees, we apologize...' That is the honourable thing to do."
The procedure used by the NPP to withdraw its objection did not sit well with the former Chief of Staff .
"You have to ask the registrar, by way of a letter, to have the court sit and then you bring a formal application withdrawing your objection... What happens to the written order? There must be a record that the written order itself has been revoked," he stated.
A former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, accused the NDC of turning the events of last Thursday into a propaganda exercise.
He also accused the party of twisting the facts concerning the NPP's decision to have the issue of its objection to the Supreme Court panel held in camera, adding that the NDC did not behave professionally.
"When such statements are made — abandoned, run away, now they want to cause delay — then you are creating propaganda, falsehood that pollute the atmosphere. I must say this with all seriousness, especially when it comes from lawyers. I think we, as professionals, must take away the propaganda and do the thing professionally and advocate the professional position in public," he said.
Speaking to the
Daily Graphic in connection with a comment he made on Joy FM's Newsfile
programme on Saturday, Nana Dadzie said, "The NPP would have been
gravely unfair and done extreme injustice to Justice Atuguba and the
Judiciary as a whole if it failed to apologise."The legal teams of both parties met at the Supreme Court on Thursday, January 10, 2013 to argue out the case in which the NDC has applied to join the NPP's petition challenging the results of the December 2012 presidential election but the hearing could not come off, as counsel for the NPP raised an issue with the composition of the panel.
The matter was adjourned to enable lawyers for the petitioners to file a formal application stating why they objected to the composition of the nine-member panel.
The nine-member court was made up of Mr Justice William Atuguba (Presiding), Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Ms Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Mr Justice Annin Yeboah, Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice G. S. Gbadegbe and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo.
But the next day, the NPP retreated, withdrawing its opposition to the composition of the court.
In a letter addressed to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, it stated its decision not to continue with its earlier objection to ensure a speedy determination of its substantive petition before the court.
According to Nana Dadzie, the NPP was given the opportunity to prove its case after it had made allegations that could injure the reputation of the judges but it failed to do so and rather decided to back out.
The action by the NPP, he stated, in addition to the utterances of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema East, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, before the court sat and the remarks made by the party's General Secretary, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, who allegedly threatened to expose Mr Justice Atuguba, warranted an apology to the highest court of the land.
Earlier on Newsfile, Nana Dadzie had argued thus: "If you've changed your mind, the proper thing to do is to go before the nine judges and say: 'Lord, we are on our knees, we apologize...' That is the honourable thing to do."
The procedure used by the NPP to withdraw its objection did not sit well with the former Chief of Staff .
"You have to ask the registrar, by way of a letter, to have the court sit and then you bring a formal application withdrawing your objection... What happens to the written order? There must be a record that the written order itself has been revoked," he stated.
A former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, accused the NDC of turning the events of last Thursday into a propaganda exercise.
He also accused the party of twisting the facts concerning the NPP's decision to have the issue of its objection to the Supreme Court panel held in camera, adding that the NDC did not behave professionally.
"When such statements are made — abandoned, run away, now they want to cause delay — then you are creating propaganda, falsehood that pollute the atmosphere. I must say this with all seriousness, especially when it comes from lawyers. I think we, as professionals, must take away the propaganda and do the thing professionally and advocate the professional position in public," he said.
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