The National Democratic Congress, NDC has filed a motion at the Supreme Court to join in the petition brought against President John Mahama as well as the Electoral Commission.
The NDC says the decision was taken because the president was elected on the ticket of the NDC, hence, the need for the party to express interest in the proceedings in court.
The party intends to argue in the contrary once the case brought by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is called at the Supreme Court.
In an interview with Citi News, a member of the NDC Legal Team, Abraham Amaliba said �Normally when a matter is in court and you have an interest in the matter and you hear of it and you fail to apply to join and a decision is given you cannot go back to that same court and say that you were not a party to the suit but the decision has affected you.�
�It is for this reason that the law allows you to join when a matter is in court even though you are not a party to it but you have an interest in the matter, and so it is this rule that we have exploited.�
�Indeed the Supreme Court could have also on its own motion ask that the NDC be joined but we don�t want to wait for that.�
According to Mr. Amaliba the NDC party have thus decided to join the suit because they [NDC] gave the President the platform and also sponsored the campaign and so whatever happens to him [President] would also affect the interest of the NDC as a party.
Meanwhile Chairman of the NPP�s constitutional committee, Mr. Ayikoi Otoo has described the decision by the NDC as a party to join the court suit as unfortunate.
�The law gives the right to challenge the validity of election to a citizen of Ghana; it is not given to a person because a person may include a legal person like the registered NDC party. So if the NDC goes to court then they are going as a legal person and that will be out of place because since we speak about citizen and not a person I don�t see how the NDC will qualify.�
�If you look at the language use; �the petition shall state the full name and a particulars of the citizenship of the petitioner and how the citizenship was acquired, can the NDC acquire a citizenship of Ghana?� He asked.
Mr. Otoo advised the NDC to think twice and abandon what they are doing since they are not recognised by law as a citizen.
According to Mr. Otoo if you look at who a respondent should be with regards to this case, �we are looking at the Electoral Commission and then the person who�s election is challenged by the petition. That is why maybe Mahama [President] will be the best person because it is his election that is being challenged.�
<<Print>>