Court bailiff reportedly denied entry into EC office following attempt to serve EC Commissioners

There was some reported tension at the Electoral Commission (EC) office as security personnel on duty obstructed court bailiffs attempting to serve legal documents to the EC commissioners.

The police personnel on the premises opposite the Kofi Annan ICT centre close to parliament reportedly claimed they had received instructions not to permit anyone onto the premises until after the upcoming week, according to information available to GhanaWeb.

This follows legal action initiated by Ayitah Precious, a resident of Otsebleku near Afienya in the Greater Accra Region, who filed a lawsuit on September 12th.

Precious alleged contempt of court by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, and Deputy Chairman Bossman Asare in relation to the ongoing limited voter registration dispute.

In the sworn affidavit, Ayitah Precious outlined her concerns about the limited voter registration exercise. She pointed out that the Electoral Commission had announced the commencement of the exercise at its district offices across the country. However, Precious, residing approximately 44.3 kilometers from the EC's district office in Prampram, expressed logistical and financial concerns about traveling to the district office for registration.

As a result, Precious filed an originating motion on notice in the High Court in Tema and an interlocutory injunction application to halt the Electoral Commission's limited voter registration exercise.

Despite serving the injunction application on the Electoral Commission, the institution proceeded with preparations for the registration exercise, as confirmed by a press release issued on September 11, 2023, which announced the exercise's start date.

The applicant's legal representatives argued that the Electoral Commission's actions, proceeding with the registration exercise while the injunction application was pending, amounted to contempt of court. Ayitah Precious and her legal team contended that such actions could potentially compromise the outcome of the court proceedings and disrupt the administration of justice.

In light of these allegations, they urged the court to hold Jean Mensa and Bossman Asare in contempt and sought custodial prison sentences as a remedy.



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