You are here: HomeOpinionsArticles2013 04 02Article 269584

Ghana is not Kenya but then...

This article is closed for comments.

Read Comments Comments (34)

  • Marin 11 years ago

    You failed to touch on the biggest difference between the two. The Kenyan constitution provides a time limit for the petitions to be dealt with and quickly before the swearing in. Our constitution doesn't have such a provisio ...
    read full comment

  • Gina 11 years ago

    Why the comparison with Kenya anyway? Have you guys read the news from that country after the Supreme Court verdict? Violence has escalated in some parts of that country, leaving two people dead and others injured. Lets deal ...
    read full comment

  • Ike - London 11 years ago

    The decision by the Ghana SC to "pass on responsibility to the squabbling lawyers"to agree was simply child's play, a waste of time and embarrassing to the Ghana Supreme Court.

  • Lone Ranger 11 years ago

    the other big difference is that while in kenya the petitioner was asking the court to recount and let him have his valid votes due him, in Ghana the petitioner is asking legitimate votes to be annulled for him to be preside ...
    read full comment

  • eh 11 years ago

    no comparison was made with respect to petition in the both cases,so come again.

  • Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK 11 years ago

    "Though the similarities are clear, in so far as they both sought to overturn an election declaration that is where it ends". Your above statement is as accurate as it could be. However, to follow this statement and recount s ...
    read full comment

  • Ern 11 years ago

    I agree with your comment, however I do not think it is sad and unacceptable that the Chief Justice excluded herself from proceedings. I know that the law is supposed to be fair and balanced, however from your comments, it wo ...
    read full comment

  • Nyansa 11 years ago

    Em, thank you for that piece. You will recall when the lawyers of the petitioners raised issues regarding the family relations of appointments of the President who were sitting on the panelto judge the case? The NDC were gear ...
    read full comment

  • ECOMINI 11 years ago

    The chief justice took the best decision not to sit on this case. A judge worth his/her salt knows when to take up a case and when not. She has done the right thing. I salute her.

  • ECOMINI 11 years ago

    What is unprecedented about the chief justice not sitting on this case. There are about 13 supreme court judges. 9 are on this panel. She does not necessarily have to sit on this case. Justice Atuguba has been on the court fo ...
    read full comment

  • SIMON BETURE 11 years ago

    WHY ALL THIS COMPARISON WITH KENYA. ALL OF A SUDDEN AN AFRICAN POLITICIAN WHOMIS JEALOUS OF A WINNER GOES TO COURT. THE RESULT WAS OBVIOUS AND THE COURT DISMISSED HIM TO GO AND FIND ANOTHER JOB. REMEMBER THAT THE NPP STARTED ...
    read full comment

  • shamu 11 years ago

    How many times shall we remain to be talking about Kenya? Even though they have the same problem like us, but in really sense, the problem are of different magnitude. That of Ghana is the worse of all Africans. I know my Ghan ...
    read full comment

  • Matthew 11 years ago

    Sorry,but there are huge differences.Ghana ( SC ) should chart it's own course.

  • Agyem 11 years ago

    Its not just matters of justice.Yes,the kenyans have twice cleared house by removing unfit justices and having public vetting of judges.But it occurs to me they are also better at building a successful airline,their cities ar ...
    read full comment

  • Gyambibi 11 years ago

    Ghanaians have never gone on the rampage with political opponents killing each other by the thousands after a disputed election. You overlooked that difference.

  • TNC 11 years ago

    mr.Hayford,
    if you were a judge, would you be fair to a voter, with respect to his constitutional right to vote, to annul his vote,on the basis that,a mechanical device failed to recognise him, when there existed other means ...
    read full comment

  • Green. 11 years ago

    But it is often said that in Kenya you do not have to hire a lawyer to win a case when you can easily buy a judge. This saying is not present in Ghana.

  • KWAME 11 years ago

    this is true but tell me why did the EC. refused some voters in some constituencies to vote when that mechanical device failed to recognize them. but allowed others to vote in other constituencies when the the same mechanica ...
    read full comment

  • insight to the bone 11 years ago

    Center to all this corruption now is the ewe tribalism that has a stranglehold on the ndc and now most of the state agencies that are to combat this menace. yes corruption exists in all countries but ours has become more noto ...
    read full comment

  • Ketaboy 11 years ago

    Do you have any sense at all? You have NORTHENER for President and a FANTI for Vice-President, where is the EWE in this? You have a GA Chief Justice. Just think before spewing pure hatred and nonsense.

  • insight to the bone 11 years ago

    they are not in control of anything , you check for yourself and find out what the truth is before talking here

  • Baffour 11 years ago

    Are we looking for fair or rushed justice? The writer only tackled respondents and woefully refused or failed to touch on the attitude of the petitioners. Who started this all? The same petitioners have demonstrated distrust ...
    read full comment

  • Akuffo Addo 11 years ago

    The petitioners amendment to their writ was not mentioned.

  • Nyansa 11 years ago

    Baffour, absolutely right. The writer only treated the respondents. They started after filling petition and sought to undermine some of the Judges not to sit on the case, then withdrew that. Then sought to amend their earlier ...
    read full comment

  • OMANNI ASARE 11 years ago

    Slow tactics in ghana institution killed our three HIGH COURT JUDGES in 1979,when Rawlings first coup failed and was captured if there was any speedy punishment our three JUDGES will be alive today,now i realized i can not po ...
    read full comment

  • Chabba 11 years ago

    Atta, your article is very poignant and insightful. Mahama and his henchmen know in their hearts that they used fraudulent means to win the election hence their delay and diversionary tactics. The irony is that John Mahama is ...
    read full comment

  • Luther king 11 years ago

    name one diversionary tactic that was used by mahama and his team. all the delays have been at the instance of our ppl. the absurd decision to contest the enpanelling of the SC, the withdrawal of the earlier pertition with a ...
    read full comment

  • WO 11 years ago

    You.stupid. Who said 'yen akan fuo' Ashantis should hit the heads of the Gas and the Ewes? Be honest and the whole world.

  • Kwame 11 years ago

    We have an absurdity and that applies to those who are challenging the December 7 - 8 December, 2012 general elections.
    The judges of the Supreme Court and petitioners are well aware themselves that nobody voted without bei ...
    read full comment

  • Ern 11 years ago

    If the Kenyan system is so good, why did they not use it in the last election before this one? Why did they fall into civil unrest? The only reason why it worked in Kenya this time is because they wanted to make sure that the ...
    read full comment

  • Afrifa Frimpong. 11 years ago

    Peace without justice is hollow.Benjamin Franklin once said "those who give up essential liberties in return for temporary peace deserve neither peace nor liberty"

  • Ern 11 years ago

    Afrifa, who says we do not have justice? We have peace and we have justice, its just that the justice appears to be slow; and immediately, Ghanaians are saying we should copy Kenya.
    Furthermore, what do you classify as justi ...
    read full comment

  • Abeeku Mensah 11 years ago

    Ah yet another phony comparative analysis by Ghanaians in the Diaspora. Each time we have had some of the Ghanaians in the Diaspora attempt to interject their rather low analytical or comparative skills at all things politica ...
    read full comment

  • SUMBRUNGU 11 years ago

    I can't bring myself to imagine how the Supreme court won't take an instructive page from the juggement ofthe Kenyan supreme court and draw feom its persuasive conclusions in deciding on the NPP petition but would rather seek ...
    read full comment