General News of Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2024 polls: Mahama's aide reacts to dismissal of Ken Kuranchie's suit by Supreme Court

John Dramani Mahama play videoJohn Dramani Mahama

An aide to former president Joyce Bawah Mogtari has reacted to the dismissal of a suit challenging the eligibility of former President John Dramani Mahama to seek a second term as president in the 2024 elections.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 14) threw out a case filed by the editor of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, Kenneth Kwabena Agyei Kuranchie, against Mahama.

The apex court censured Ken Kuranchie, himself a lawyer, tasking him to go find a master and learn his legal trade under his feet.

With the dismissal, it was affirmed that Mahama can contest in the 2024 elections which will be his fourth consecutive run, winning in 2012 and losing back-to-back in 2016 and 2020, all three contests have been against outgoing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Reacting to the ruling via her Twitter (now X) handle, Bawah Mogtari wrote: "The Supreme Court has dismissed a suit filed by NPP activist Kenneth Kuranchie against the eligibility of former President John Dramani Mahama to contest in the 2024 General Election.

"The court in its verdict unequivocally declared that John Mahama is eligible to run for president in the 2024 presidential race after they deemed the application defective, thereby throwing out the case."






What Kuranchie was seeking

It can be recalled that the journalist cum politician in June 2023, filed a suit against Mahama's eligibility to contest again to become president.

In his writ, he prayed the court to declare the true and proper interpretation of Article 66 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, clearly stipulating the number of years of a presidential term to be four years.

He argued that by the declaration and proper interpretation of Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution, would mean that a former president of Ghana is not qualified to seek election again.

As a result, he asked the court declare to prevent John Manama from pursuing his presidential ambition.

In the motion submitted to the highest court of the land, on September 25, 2023, John Mahama's legal team prayed the court to dismiss Kuranchie's writ of summons, filed on June 12, 2023, citing technicalities.

However, in a ruling by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, it threw out the suit and declared that the former president, John Dramani Mahama, can run in the 2024 General Elections.

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