Ahead of the 2024 December 7 general elections, a former chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has tasked the judiciary to mete out severe punishments to persons who waste the courts time with unfounded petitions.
The former EC chairs says some election petitions right from the onset hold no basis, urging the judiciary to sift through petitions brought before them, proceeding to hear weighty cases, whiles throwing out baseless ones.
Dr. Afari-Gyan argues that by adopting this position, the courts will uphold their reputation and that of the Electoral Commission (EC).
“I sincerely think that the courts and Electoral Commission must be spared in an improbable election petition. Not only do they needlessly waste time but they can also cause undeserved injury to the reputation of a judge or EC, in the minds of supporters of some party candidates irrespective of the verdict.
“Because of this ability to cause undeserved damage, I am suggesting that instead of regarding every election petition a public interest litigation, improbable petitions should attract punitive sanctions,” he said in an address at the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Conference in Kumasi on Tuesday, September 10.
Dr Afari-Gyan also urged political parties participating in the December 7 elections to exercise caution when dealing with the “pink sheets” during and after the polls.
