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In the wake of the ongoing 2012 election petition, Mr. Maurice Ampaw, a lawyer by profession, has challenged the President, John Dramani Mahama to withdraw some statements he (President) had made that the outcome of the case would show that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won cleanly in free and fair the 2012 Elections. According to him, the comments made by the President were very contemptuous and prejudicial, and that it was a direct way of interfering in the administration of justice at the Supreme Court. �Making such statement is a form of giving a prejudgment...like as if he already knows what the judgment would be....it�s a very serious statement that puts the judges in a very tight corner, and he must as a matter of urgency withdraw", he noted. The comments were made by the President when he was addressing executives and members of the NDC at the party's Headquarters in Accra, as part of NDC 21st anniversary. Making his remarks in an interview with this reporter, Mr. Ampaw dared the Supreme Court to sanction or imprison lawyers who gave prejudicial comments, saying it would be a punitive measure to deter others from interfering with the administration of justice. Readers will recall that the Supreme Court recently issued a stern warning to lawyers speaking for various political parties to desist from divulging privileged information heard in chambers to the public. In a related development, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie has issued a statement cautioning the President to �stop intimidating judges with prejudicial statements.� The said �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.� Mr. Owusu Afriyie also known as Sir John noted that President John Mahama, who is the 1st respondent in the presidential election petition, to come out emphatically state that the Supreme Court judges will show that he won �cleanly in free and fair elections� was deeply unfortunate. He said the assertion also by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, deputy Minister of Information, to bet his life that the NPP will lose the election petition currently before the Supreme Court was irresponsible. �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,� he underscored. He added: �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.� Sir John stated that President Mahama should stop making any such further statements calculated to put undue pressure on the court to rule in his favour, adding that the �interest of the nation in this case should serve enough notice to him that Ghanaians expect nothing less than justice.�