Opinions of Saturday, 9 February 2013

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Supreme Court Shattering NPP's Dream by each Passing Day

The unfolding signs so far are not good for the NPP petitioners. Let me be clear with my readers once more, whatever the outcome of the complaint lodged with the Supreme Court about the election 2012 fraud is, it affects all discerning Ghanaians in one way or the other. It does not affect only Nana Akuffo-Addo, Dr. Bawumia, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and or the NPP faithful but also, any Ghanaian who earnestly voted for a change of government but now finds their vote stolen. ? As an adage goes, "the tree is bent but not yet broken", I will advise all genuinely concerned Ghanaian citizens not to be despaired. There is still some hope if actually Nana Akuffo-Addo and Co. has credibly established some gargantuan election irregularities or fraud as alleged. ? I did advise the petitioners in some of my published articles to request the Supreme Court to order the Electoral Commissioner (Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan), to deposit copies of all the 26,000 pink sheets and the verification machines in the Supreme Court. This was upon the certainty and belief that Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, as dubious as he is, will tamper with some or all the evidences once he becomes aware of the volume and which areas the irregularities took place. ? The narration of the story would have been more palatable if the petitioners had requested the pink sheets to be placed with the Supreme Court, giving reasons why, as extensively explained in some of my articles rather than asking the Electoral Commissioner to make them available to the petitioners. Why would the petitioners need them, knowingly having copies already, consequent upon which, they detected the alleged execution of fraud by the Electoral Commission and their accomplices? ? I would like the Supreme Court to guarantee that once all the further details and better clarifications as demanded are made available to the defendants, verification machines and pink sheets covering the alleged areas will not disappear. If it does happen that thieves do break into areas holding evidences incriminating the Electoral Commissioner and bolt away with them, who will the court hold responsible. Take Amenfi East Constituency in the Western Region for example where four verification machines have gone missing a few days ago with a court case pending in a local court against the NDC MP in the area for having rigged the elections? Some thieves have stolen the machines due to serve as evidence of fraud having taken place. How does the court go about ascertaining some facts, which they would otherwise have retrieved from the machines? ? The Supreme Court should make it clear to the Electoral Commissioner that should any verification machine go missing or get tampered with once Nana Akuffo-Addo and Co. releases the details to the defendants, they (the Supreme Court) will hold them criminally accountable. The Supreme Court should not seek to facilitate the chances of Dr. Afari-Gyan, John Mahama and the NDC getting away with blue murder. There should be spanners and bolts on their plots to tamper with any evidence. ? The Supreme Court by her refusal to grant Nana Akuffo-Addo & Co. their request for copies of the 26,000 pink sheets and collation sheets covering the 275 constituency centres has accepted that the copies the NPP currently possess are all genuine, and are acceptable in any court of law. This is the catch for Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. ? I still admonish all discerning Ghanaians to stay RESOLUTE as assured in the dream by KOFI BASOAH. The Lead Counsel for Nana Akuffo-Addo & Co. should please be careful of the steps they take henceforth, without making any further cock-up. ? Rockson Adofo