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Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), has denied media claims that he has been hiding from the Supreme Court and stated that he will appear before the court at the appropriate time. He explained that currently the court was dealing with preliminary matters and that he would personally be at the Supreme Court when hearing of the substantive issues started. Dr Afari-Gyan stated this when the Daily Graphic drew his attention to a remark by Mr Justice Jones Dotse in the Supreme Court Wednesday to the effect that he (Afari-Gyan), as the Returning Officer of the presidential election, had not been seen in court. The EC Chairman said his presence in court during the preliminary stages of the petition was not very material. Three leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the party�s 2012 presidential candidate; his running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the NPP National Chairman, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, have filed a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the declaration of President John Mahama as the winner of the 2012 presidential election. After nine sittings to consider and rule on more than 20 interlocutory applications filed by parties in the case, the Supreme Court, on April 2, 2013, set April 16, 2013 for hearing of the substantive petition. Explaining further, Dr Afari-Gyan, who stated that he had not travelled anywhere, contrary to claims by sections of the media, noted that as was usual, the EC�s lawyers represented the commission in all court cases and that the present petition was no exception. He added that as chairman, he would make an appearance once the substantive issues came before the judges.