Leaders of the #FixtheCountry Movement, who filed a petition at the Presidency for the removal of the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Mensa and her two deputies, have revealed that the seat of government, the Jubilee House, has accordingly responded to their petition.
However, per the Supreme Court decisions that the contents of such a petition brought under Article 146 of the Constitution cannot be made public, the particular answers to their petition have not been announced to the public.
The petition concerned the issues of the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) in the Oti region.
They were invoking the constitutional processes for the removal of the electoral officers.
The petitioners comprise lawyers, academics, students, public and private sector employees, unemployed and homeless Ghanaians, and cuts across all political persuasions and ethnicity.
The petitioners come from different towns and regions across the country and include Ghanaians in the diaspora.
“The petition has been brought in connection with the intentional denial of the right to vote of the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lololi and Likpe in the 2020 general parliamentary elections.
“The petitioners assert that the actions of the impugned officials if considered in context and in light of their preceding and subsequent conduct, meets the threshold of stated misbehaviour and, or incompetence as required under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution for the removal of these officials,” it said.
A statement issued by the group and co signed by Benjamin Darko and Felicity Naana Nelson on Tuesday January announcing the response received said “Earlier today, 18 January 2022, the 46 Ghanaians affiliated with #FixTheCountry who petitioned the Chief Justice, through the President, initiating processes for the impeachment of the Chair and Deputies of the Electoral Commission in the connection of the disenfranchisement of the people of Santrokofi, Lolobi, Akpafu and Likpe, received responding letters from the Offices of the President and of the Chief Justice.
“Through his letter, the President has acknowledged receipt of the petition and confirmed that it has forwarded the Petition to the Chief Justice to commence the process for impeaching the impugned officers of the Electoral Commission.
“For his part, the Chief Justice in his letter, informed the petitioners that he has initiated the impeachment process and has accordingly informed the impugned officers of the Electoral Commission of this step.
“Next Steps: Following the correspondences received, the petitioners and their Lawyers look forward to and are actively preparing for the full impeachment phase of the process before the 5-member Committee that will soon and subsequently be established by the Chief Justice.
“Public release of the Content of the Petition and the Correspondences. The Supreme Court has in a string of decisions held that the contents of a petition brought under Article 146 of the Constitution cannot be made public in order to protect the privacy interests of the Article 146 officeholders.
“While the Petitioners find it bizarre that the Supreme Court will aid public office holders to assert non-existent personal privacy interests in grave matters of public interest and in connection with the performance of their official duties, they have reticently agreed to embargo the release of the full content of the petition, and the correspondences received for the meantime.”
Source: 3news.com
