Mahama wants to intimidate Supreme Court - NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly condemned President Mahama's statement that the outcome of the election petition will prove that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the polls “cleanly and fairly”.

President Mahama on Monday, told executives and staff of the NDC on the occasion of the party’s 21st anniversary that the only outcome that could possibly come out of the election petition case will be that his presidency would be upheld.

However, in a statement by the General Secretary of the NPP, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, he described the comments by the president as “irresponsible, disrespectful of the judiciary" and "designed to intimidate" the Supreme Court Judges.

"The president should respect the doctrine of separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary and responsibilities of parties not to make prejudicial statements in cases that they are involved in which are before the court," the statement said.

Below is the full statement by the NPP

The attention of the New Patriotic Party has been drawn to certain statements, in a spate of just 3 days, made by President John Dramani Mahama and Felix Kwakye Ofosu, deputy information minister, all to the effect that that Supreme Court will declare that the NDC, and for that matter John Dramani Mahama, won the December 2012 polls “cleanly.”

For John Mahama, who is the 1st respondent in the presidential election petition, to come out emphatically and state that the Supreme Court judges will show that he won “cleanly in free and fair elections”, is deeply unfortunate.

As though this is not enough Felix Kwakye Ofosu, deputy Minister of State, has bet his life that the NPP will lose the election petition currently before the Supreme Court.

The NPP would like to make it clear to the president and government spokespersons to refrain from making such reckless statements intended to bring the administration of justice into disrepute

The President should respect the doctrine of separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary and the responsibilities of parties not to make prejudicial statements in cases that they are involved in which are before the court.

His statement that the judges will rule in his favour was irresponsible, disrespectful of the judiciary, prejudicial to the election petition and designed to intimidate the nine judges hearing the petition.

President Mahama should stop making any such further statements calculated to put undue pressure on the court to rule in his favour.

The interest of the nation in this case should serve enough notice to him that Ghanaians expect nothing less than JUSTICE!

....signed......

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie

NPP General Secretary