General News of Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Source: starrfmonline.com

Parliament’s meeting with EC Commissioners needless - Minority

Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu

The Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu has said the much anticipated meeting between the leadership of Parliament and commissioners of the Electoral Commission (EC) over the chaos that inundated the Electoral Management body is unnecessary.

The meeting is expected to commence immediately the EC boss is done briefing the House about how much the commission made from the controversial fees it charged journalists for accreditation ahead of the 2016 general elections.

But referring to Order 93 of the House’s standing orders, Mr Iddrisu described the meeting as needless since president Akufo-Addo had forwarded the petition demanding the head of the boss of the Commission Charlotte Osei to the Chief Justice.

“The meeting with leadership is mute legally… therefore we have no business engaging her further until the matter is so judicially determined,” he stressed.

The president’s referral of the petition to the CJ is pursuant to the terms of Article 146(3) of the Constitution, a statement from the presidency added.

“Whilst the President was out of the country, the office of the President received a petition, initially undated and unsigned, against the Chairperson of the EC.

Subsequently, counsel, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, Esq., by letter dated 20th July, 2017, wrote to the office of the President setting out the names of the petitioners and the date of the petition,” a statement from the presidency signed by Director of Communications Eugene Arhin said.

Meanwhile, the EC chair has sued the lawyer of the faceless petitioners, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, asking the court to inflict cost on him for defaming her.