John Peter Amewu
The Supreme Court will deliver judgment on the Election Injunction Petition against John Peter Amewu, Member of Parliament-Elect for Hohoe, on Wednesday, January 06, 2021.
Last week, a Ho High Court granted an interim injunction restraining the Electoral Commission (EC) from gazetting John-Peter Amewu, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament-Elect for the Hohoe Constituency.
The Court presided over by Justice George Buadi, granted the ex parte application filed by Professor Margaret Kweku, National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate for the Hohoe Constituency, Simon Allan Opoku-Mintah, John Kwame Obimpeh, Godfred Koku Kofie and Felix Quarshie.
The respondents in the case: are the Electoral Commission, Wisdom Kofi Akpakli, Hohoe Municipal Electoral Officer, Amewu and the Attorney-General.
The Court held that the EC be restrained from seeking to gazette the MP-elect.
The court ordered the MP-elect from presenting himself to be sworn-in as the MP for Hohoe Constituency or hold himself as such with the order lasting for 10 days, from December 23.
On December 29, this year, the Attorney-General (A-G) invoked the supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to quash the decision of the Ho High Court.
The A-G sought an order restraining the High Court from hearing or conducting proceedings in the suit before it.
The Supreme Court on Monday overruled the request of Tsatsu Tsikata for Justice Clemence J. Hoenyenugah to recuse himself in the case.
The Court said the application was without merit and had no substance of potential bias as stated by Mr Tsikata and that Justice Hoenyenugah was remotely connected to Mr Amewu.
Mr Tsikata, counsel for interested parties in the case, asked Justice Clemence J. Hoenyenugah, a panel member adjudicating the case, to recuse himself.
Mr Tsikata had told the Supreme Court that the panel member had a personal relationship with Mr Amewu, Member of Parliament-Elect for Hohoe.
He said they had people who would testify on oath to that effect.
But Mr Justice Hoenyenugah denied having a personal relationship with the MP-Elect.
A deputy Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, who represented the State in the matter, said Mr Tsikata’s claim for the recusal was an attempt to delay processes before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court quizzed Mr Tsikata for failing to state the grounds for Justice Hoenyenugah’s recusal in a letter dated December 31, 2020 forwarded to the Court’s Registry and fixed Wednesday, January 05, for the ruling.
GNA