The election of regional representatives to the Council of State and the ruling of the Supreme Court that the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) cannot be compelled to testify in the 2020 presidential election petition filed by former President John Dramani Mahama are some of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.The Graphic reports that election of regional representatives to the Council of State will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., after which the regional directors of the EC will declare the results.
The Electoral Commission (EC) opened nominations for aspirants to pick up nomination forms on February 1, with a filing deadline of February 4, 2021, as part of processes for electing regional representatives to the Council of State.
“Every nomination must be proposed and seconded by two (2) registered voters and supported by 20 registered voters in the region. The consent of the candidate must be endorsed thereon,” the EC said.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Deputy Chairperson of the EC in charge of operations, Mr. Samuel Tettey, said the EC had supplied COVID-19 safety materials which had been delivered to all the regions.
He said the regional directors of the EC, who were the returning officers for the election, had also been briefed on their roles and asked to ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols were observed.
He said all materials needed for the election, such as ballot boxes, ballot papers, indelible ink and notice of polls, had been delivered as well.
The newspaper says that the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, cannot be compelled to testify in the 2020 presidential election petition filed by former President John Dramani Mahama, the Supreme Court has ruled.
This means the EC Chairperson will not mount the witness box to be cross-examined in the petition in which Mr. Mahama, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 2020 elections, is challenging the declaration by her that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), won the presidential poll.
In a unanimous ruling yesterday, the apex court held that the rules of court and decided cases did not give it the power to order parties to call witnesses to adduce evidence if they (parties) chose not to do so.
“The law is, therefore, settled that a party will not be comepelled to enter the witness box and […]