Private legal practitioner, Oliver Barker-Vormawor has expressed concern over the Electoral Commission's (EC) approach to managing disputes from the 2024 parliamentary elections.
He described the Commission's actions regarding the re-collation of contested results as hasty and procedurally flawed.
His comments follow the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday, December 26, to unanimously quash re-collation results for Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Techiman South, and Okaikwei Central.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, December 28, Mr Barker-Vormawor questioned the EC's urgency in re-collating disputed results, a move he believes undermines judicial processes.
"We don’t understand the rush, a rush that not only seems unnecessary but also offends law and procedure. You cannot disrespect the courts when there’s a pending application to stay; you can’t take any action," he stated.
He further criticised the EC for filing an affidavit in court opposing the mandamus application while simultaneously moving forward to gazette results for the affected constituencies.
"These series of actions, for me, are something we need to look at. The liberty which the Electoral Commission continues to give itself in undermining judicial processes is really concerning, especially when trust in it is consistently low, and when people are continuing to question these actions,” he added.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, which does not affect the results for Ahafo Ano North and Nsawam Adoagyiri, found that the trial judge violated the NDC parliamentary candidates’ right to a hearing when they applied to the High Court.
The apex court also stressed that while the re-collated results were invalidated, the mandamus application remains active and must be heard by the High Court on Tuesday, December 31, under a different judge.
Latest Stories
-
Report facts, not perceptions – Justice Dzamefe tells journalists
32 seconds -
Judgements are based on “evidence not on friendships” – Dzamefe
10 minutes -
Judiciary is not financially independent – Justice Dzamefe
13 minutes -
‘Forget women, smoking and drinking’ if you want to be World Champion – Bukom Banku
18 minutes -
Justice Dzamefe proposes timelines for court cases to enhance justice delivery
24 minutes -
Global conference on human resources in Africa slated in August
27 minutes -
Frederick Asare calls Kotoko’s FA Cup triumph a ‘special day’
34 minutes -
We’ll cooperate with the majority in vetting of Supreme Court nominees – Minority
39 minutes -
I am ready to defend myself in court for things I said about Zoomlion contract – Manasseh Azure
48 minutes -
Livestream: Vetting of seven nominees to Supreme Court begins
55 minutes -
WAFCON 2024: Black Queens name squad for pre-tournament camping
55 minutes -
Sports Minister Kofi Adams calls for total overhaul of Ghana’s Professional Boxing
1 hour -
We’ll bid for gov’t sweepers contract again if tender is opened – Zoomlion
1 hour -
Some OMCs reduce fuel prices at pumps; Petrol selling at GH¢10.99
1 hour -
We are an open organisation that values transparency – Zoomlion’s Communications Director
1 hour