Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ayikoi Otoo, has expressed concerns over the ongoing electoral dispute, particularly with the Electoral Commission (EC) and the supreme court’s handling of the re-collation process.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, December 28, Ayikoi Otoo emphasized that, in his view, no party has truly won as a result of the court’s decision.
He stated that the failure to allow key stakeholders to be heard has compromised the fairness of the process.
“I do recall when I did the case for Dr. [name] when he was disqualified, and it was one of the grounds I used and it prevailed.
So, immediately I saw this, I said to myself, wow, what is happening to this judge?”.
He criticized the exclusion of interested parties in the court proceedings, stating that this omission violated the principles of natural justice.
“I even have difficulty with the MPP lawyers who went to court because we all know they are interested parties in the matter,” Otoo explained.
He further pointed out that when parties have a vested interest in the case, they must be included in the proceedings.
Citing Rule 6:1 of the 55th Rule, Otoo argued that the court had an obligation to hear those opposed to the application, but the judge did not allow that.
He warned that ignoring this could lead to the ruling being invalidated.
“If you breach it, you are going to run into difficulty,” he said.
“The Supreme Court did not decide on the merits.
What they’ve done is say that because the people were not given any hearing, we are going to quash the decision you made,” Otoo stated.
“No party really has won anything. You are going to start all over again.”
“No party has really won anything, you are just going to start all over again”
– Ayikoi Otoo on EC, Supreme Court, and re-collation #Newsfile pic.twitter.com/7aVYCxW89B
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) December 28, 2024
