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Opinions of Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Columnist: Frank Kumi

An open letter to Lawyer Abraham Amaliba

Lawyer Abraham Amaliba Lawyer Abraham Amaliba

Dear Counsel,

I was shocked, frightened and dismayed when I read in the news your comment on the committee set up by the chief justice to probe the petition that some staffs of the electoral commission submitted to the president of Ghana and in accordance with the constitution, same was forwarded to the chief justice. According to what I read, you granted an interview to Accra fm 100.5 and your comment was captured as;

“These are the worrying signals. How can you drag somebody to your committee without giving the persona copy of the document and everybody is keeping quiet?”

“…What has the woman done? She has declared election results in your favour and so what again do they want from her that they are using the process to harass her?

“Where are the CDDs? Where are the Occupy Ghanas? If it were to be the NDC government all these people would be speaking by now. Where is Emile Short? Where is Professor Martey? This country will burn and we will see where all of us will be and so they should continue doing it.”

Counsel, you think Ghana is going to burn because the unheard-of has happened to Madam Charlotte Osei? It is quite strange that you observe the on-going development as harassment because Mrs. Osei has complained that she had not received copies of the petition? How on earth could that be harassment? If she has not received copies of the petition then she should demand it from the committee which I think they should gladly provide. It is a normal issue in litigation where one party might have filed a process yet on the court day the other party might not have received the process yet such occurrence is not termed harassment.

I find it quite incongruous when you say “she has declared election in the NPP’s favour so what again do they want from her”. Mrs. Osei’s declaration of the presidential results was because of her position as the returning officer for the presidential election and not because she was doing anybody a favour. In any case she had no option but to affirm what had already taken place at the polling stations even if it was against her wishes.

Nobody needs anything from Madam Charlotte Osei; it is her own workers who have filed a petition to seek her impeachment on several grounds of allegations on her administrative leadership as EC chair. The petitioners are not political parties or known members of any political party so please give us a break. Since you are ready to burn Ghana for the sake of Mrs. Osei, kindly offer her free legal service as it would be more beneficial than the threat of violence your are prompting.

Counsel respectfully, you are calling on civil society groups and the clergy to do what? You want them to interfere with the process established to look into allegation which some borders on criminality and corruption. What is their interest and what has necessitated for their intervention? Respectfully nothing has happened that indicates there is likelihood of a miscarriage of justice so please don’t cry more than the bereaved. The committee is chaired by a Supreme Court judge, and Mrs. Osei shall be duly represented by her lawyers therefore there is no cause for alarm, justice shall surely be done.

Lastly, on your comment that Ghana would burn; my dear lawyer I promised you Ghana would live, shall survive, prosper to the glory of God and shall not burn because of you and Mrs. Osei. It is sad that some of you continue spew such venom from your mouth knowing very well that such rash comments from you the political leaders only trickle to inspire violence in the grass root. Counsel what is your interest in Mrs. Osei chairmanship at the EC to the extent that you would burn Ghana to maintain her at the position.

She is not a member of the NDC so what is your problem to allow such atrocious and imprudent comment to come from you. Donald Trump’s Presidency is being probed, former president of Argentina Cristina Fernandez has been charged with treason and former prime minister of South Korea Lee wan-Koo was indicted on a charge of receiving illegal political funds among others yet in all these cases their countries did not burn.

Counsel kindly ponder on this scripture from Ephesians 4:29 which reads as follows; “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”.

Yours truly

A citizen not Spectator