Opinions of Thursday, 26 September 2013

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Demonstrations to Shame Ghana

Demonstrations to Shame Ghana (Atuguba’s) Supreme Court Judges Internationally?

??In the few days leading on to the declaration of the Supreme Court verdict on Election 2012, Ghanaians were panicking, girding their loins to face the hurricane that was gathering over the dark seas in the distance beyond. The hurricane was preceded by overwhelming whirlwind - ferocious Justice William Atuguba vociferously insulting and threatening to deal drastically with Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie alias Sir John and his pal, Hopeson Adorye.

?Holding true to the Ghanaian belief of "Ehuru a ebedwo" – (the whirlwind will settle in the end), the tsunamic Supreme Court verdict pregnant all over with nonsensicalities belie the momentary show of seriousness by Justice Atuguba and the eventual inability by discerning Ghanaians to act in challenge of that hopeless verdict. Having pronounced a verdict that has, and will forever taint the credibility of the Court, blights the integrity of those judges that exhibited utter misunderstanding or misapplication of the very Constitutional and electoral laws that governed election 2012, they shamelessly proceeded on Summer recess abroad.

?Was Atuguba’s threatening posture, not in the end "a tempest in a teapot?" Will he now be able to exercise his shameless double-standard role of an umpire while simultaneously a player in the game? He could not hide his childish biases right from the very inception of the Election 2012 court proceedings through to the delivery of judgment. A Supreme Court judge openly making a mockery of his understanding and interpretation of clearly written Constitutional and Electoral laws (CI 74) just for attaining the objective of his partisanship, is really amazing. A Ghanaian Supreme Court judge indeed!

?What are the instances that could be classified as over-voting during an election? Yes, when the ballots in the ballot box exceed the number of registered voters on the voter register. However, was it not defined by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, as a situation where the number of ballots in the ballot box are found to outnumber the registered votes cast? Was it not the definition agreed on by all the stakeholders? From whence then comes the later absurd interpretations assigned to "over-voting" by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan?

?However, collusively, Justice Atuguba upon all his many years practice on the Bar and the Bench as a probable astute lawyer, agrees with the later mischievous definition unilaterally espoused by Kwadwo Afari Gyan and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah. He goes further to tell that when the ballots found in the ballot box exceed the number of registered ballots cast but less than the number of registered voters on the voter register, then the situation is called STUFFING. This is absolute trash! ?In the same vein, he tries to justify biometric verification pandering to the last minute corrupted version by both Asiedu Nketiah and Kwadwo Afari Gyan. This clearly shows who, what and how Justice William Atuguba and his shameless other judges blatantly misinterpreting laws and misrepresenting facts are. Will he ever again be able to summon anyone before his court while sitting in judgment to try the person for contempt of court because the person has insulted him or flouted his orders? Never ever again, I should say - as disgraceful, full of biases and extremely partisan as he appears in the eyes of many a Ghanaian. ? I shall do him the last and final big favour. I have printed out and made into a big booklet the 605-page Supreme Court verdict report on Election 2012. I have also made into booklets the individual verdict reports by each of the nine-panel judge. I only need a full copy of the Constitutional Instruments (CI 74, 75) to arrange another demonstration to present copies of them to the British House of Lords, the British Prime Minister and Parliament. I just want them to know how Ghana Supreme Court judges decide cases corruptibly and therefore, such judges should be treated with the public scorn they deserve

?I do not intend to ridicule them. They have ridiculed themselves already. Is it an act of incompetence; a deliberate bias to see the side they support win power or a mere display of folly on their part, as dark-minded as these Ghanaian compatriots are, that informed their flawed verdict? ?I shall be speaking to people in the coming days to arrange such demonstrations in other parts of the civilized world to present copies of the Supreme Court ruling on Election 2012, Ghana Constitution of which I have printed off a copy from the internet and other materials to other world bodies and governments. We have to expose the corruptibility and maybe the irresponsibleness of the Ghana judiciary, especially Atuguba and his colleagues to the world. Their vicious verdict is a recipe for disaster – civil or political war – should NPP unflinchingly resolve to be as bestial as the NDC since the judges have indirectly indicated that winning elections is at the polling stations and by the "survival of the fittest" methodology.

?If in the glare of cameras recording and telecasting real-time Election 2012 court proceedings on airwaves, Atuguba and his colleagues could not care a hoot but made a mockery of themselves by the judgment they came out with, why should I care exposing their probable shortcomings to the world? ?The axe will continue to grind until the entire truth is known. Corruption galore! ? ? Rockson Adofo?internationally.