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Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe were willfully denied the right to vote, thus 46 people petitioned the president to have Madam Jean Mensa and her deputies removed. They have written to the president and chief justice to withdraw their petition.
On January 10, 2022, a petition was submitted; it has not yet been answered.
On Wednesday, the Madam Jean Mensa lawsuit, which sought to suspend the impeachment procedure, was postponed sine die by the Supreme Court.
The petitioners assert that after nearly two years of observing various constitutional officers fail to uphold their constitutional duties in this matter, they have lost faith in the fairness of the process and are convinced that no one is interested in or urgent about pursuing the justice of their petition.
They think that the events leading up to and following the petition have persuaded them that deliberate efforts are being made to stall the impeachment and keep the officers from being investigated.
By withdrawing the petition, they contend, they are refusing to take part in a hoax that allows the individuals to be exonerated.
“As you may be aware, as far back as 10th January 2022, 46 petitioners convened by #FixTheCountry petitioned the President regarding the egregious misconduct of the Chairperson and Deputies of the Electoral Commission through which the citizens of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobu and Likpe were denied the right to vote in the 2020 parliamentary elections.”
Read the full statement below:
Press Release
Friday, July 14, 2023
Withdrawal of the SALL Petition for the Removal of the Chair and Deputies of the Electoral Commission
Yesterday, after nearly 2 years of waiting for institutional action on the impeachment petition brought against the Chairperson and Deputies of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, we the 46 petitioners formally notified the President and the Chief Justice of our intention to withdraw the petition.
As you may be aware, as far back as 10th January 2022, 46 petitioners convened by #FixTheCountry petitioned the President regarding the egregious misconduct of the Chairperson and Deputies of the Electoral Commission through which the citizens of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobu and Likpe were denied the right to vote in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Since the petition was forwarded to the Chief Justice, we have witnessed contrived gestures that for us signal a clear intention to undermine or extinguish the constitutional mechanisms for accountability and judicious conduct.
The refusal to act on the petition was due to a deliberate and collaborationist decision by the then Chief Justice to hide behind contrived proceduralism in order allow room for the frivolous filibustering devices of Madam Jean Mensa.
We the petitioners, after 2 years of seeing various constitutional officers fail to live up to their constitutional responsibilities in this matter, have become convinced of a lack of interest or urgency in pursuing the justice of our plaint and have as such lost faith in the integrity of the process.
We feel compelled to exercise our democratic right to withdraw this petition, in order that the Constitution will no further be mocked by the indolence of actors who have been assigned the task of its protection. In reaching this decision, we have considered the best interest of our democracy, and taken further account of our refusal to lend ourselves to any process that will ultimately be used to whitewash clear evidence of egregious misconduct. In addition, we see no reason why we should participate in the persistence of what has so clearly become a charade.
Yours in the service of our democracy
The Petitioners
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
