General News of Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Source: The Herald Newspaper

Chief Justice to hear NPP & Akufo-Addo

The claim by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that there was “Systematic Stealing” at last Friday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, must have forced Chief Justice Georgina T. Wood, to establish two public complaints secretariats in anticipation of post-2012 election petitions.

One of the units is interestingly located in the Chief Justice’s Secretariat with the other unit at the Office of the Chief Registrar-General.

This was announced in a press release signed by Justice Alex B. Poku-Acheampong, Judicial Secretary and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The Chief Justice’s move is raising suspicion among some people. The notice says that the two secretariats will receive and file complainants and queries from the public on pending election petitions before the courts after December 7 general elections adding the purpose of the arrangements are to ensure that post-elections petitions placed before the courts are determined in a timely fashion.

The Herald is meanwhile informed that NPP bigwigs and Nana Addo, who is yet to concede defeat three days after the declaration of the results, are having a meeting today to petition the chief justice on its claims of “Systematic Stealing” at the election.

The announcement by the Judicial Service is raising suspicion within government, the ruling NDC and ordinary Ghanaians who voted for John Mahama as opposed to Nana Addo.

The suspicion within the government and the NDC is as a result of the 2008, incident involving Lawyer Atta Akyea a cousin of the NPP flag bearer. Many are asking whether the chief justice is up to mar the beauty of last Friday’s polls.