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The Tema High Court has fixed November 24 to rule on the contempt case against Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa and her deputies.
A private citizen, Precious Ayitah a non-registered voter resident in Otsebleku, near Afienya in the Greater Accra Region, filed an injunction suit against the voter registration exercise from taking place in the district offices of the Commission on Friday, September 8.
She explained in her writ that due to the distance of her place of residence to the closest Electoral Commission office (44.3 kilometers from EC’s District Office in Prampram, using the Accra-Aflao Road, and about 37.3km, using the Akosombo-Accra Road, she could not afford the journey to exercise her civic right.
Ms. Ayitah stressed that it would have been more convenient if the registration had been done in her electoral area as that is closer.
She, therefore, indicated that “the decision of the 1st Respondent (Jean Mensa) to restrict the limited registration exercise to its district offices, instead of opening up the registration exercise to the already existing electoral areas that are more accessible to me, amounts to a suppression and a breach of my right to vote”.
But the Electoral Commission disregarded the injunction and carried out the exercise at its district offices. The exercise began on September 11 and ended on October 2 having covered all 268 districts.
In her contempt suit against the Commission, Precious Ayitah prayed the court to commit the EC Chairperson and her deputies to prison.
“That the respondents deserve a custodial sentence and nothing less for bringing the administration of justice into disrepute,” portions of her suit read.
In court on Monday, October 16, 2023, lawyers for Precious Ayitah withdrew the injunction suit since the exercise for which the sought its suspension went ahead. Lawyers for the EC and her deputies indicated in court that Jean Mensa had filed an affidavit in opposition to the contempt suit.
Reindolf Twumasi Ankrah, holding brief for Nii Kpakpo Samoa waived right of service after seeing the affidavit.
Justice Patricia Quansah ordered lawyers of both parties to file their written submissions by November 16 and adjourned the hearing to November 24 for the ruling on the contempt case.
Credit: 3news.com| Laud Adu-Asare
