Accept election petition outcome – Justice Atuguba advises Ghanaians

A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice William Atuguba, has admonished Ghanaians to embrace the outcome of the 2020 presidential election petition in good faith.
He said in the event that a section of the people were aggrieved by the verdict of the apex court, their actions must be within the confines of the law.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic last Saturday, Justice Atuguba indicated that “court decisions on matters of this kind have various impacts and effects, depending on the circumstances in each country. What I will say is that even if anybody is aggrieved with the ruling, their reactions should be within the framework of the rule of law.”

Asked about the call for the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, to mount the witness box, Justice Atuguba, who was the president of the panel of the Supreme Court that adjudicated the 2012 presidential election petition, said the court had the necessary wisdom in dealing with such matters.

On that score, he asked that people avoid directing the court on how to handle the issue, noting that such actions could lead to contempt.

“The Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice, have been vetted and approved by Parliament, who are the representatives of the people, so it is important for all actors, particularly the lawyers and the adjudicators, to bear in mind at all times that the decision of the court involves the sovereign welfare of the people of Ghana,” he said.

Background

Justice Atuguba was appointed Supreme Court judge on November 30, 1995 by former President Jerry John Rawlings.

He was first enrolled as a magistrate on October 3, 1974.

He worked as a private legal practitioner and served as a State Attorney before being appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court.

On countless occasions, Justice Atuguba acted as Chief Justice any time Justice Georgina Theodora Wood was outside the country on official duties.

Source: Graphic

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