Election Petition: Ghana must learn from Kenya – Bombande

The Executive Secretary for the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), Emmanuel Bombande has called on Ghanaians and the country’s judiciary to learn from the process the Kenyan Supreme Court used in ruling on the election petition in that country. 

Kenya’s Supreme Court upheld Uhuru Kenyatta’s Presidential election victory; rejecting several petitions challenging the vote. 

In Ghana, three petitioners from the New Patriotic Party (NPP); the Presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, his running mate, Dr. Mahamamudu Bawumia and the party’s Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey are challenging the 2012 Presidential results which declared President John Mahama the winner of the elections.

The case is still pending in court since January this year.

Speaking to b>Citi News, Mr. Bombande maintained that although the two election petitions are not the same, Ghanaians can learn from the peaceful way Kenyans received the ruling.

Outlining some lessons worthy of emulation by Ghana’s Judiciary, Mr. Bombande said: “The petitioners led by Raila Odinga of the court Coalition who lost the petition in court; one hour after the judgment, organised a press conference and talked to people of Kenya about the importance of peace and how he recognizes and accepts the court’s verdict.”

He commended Mr. Odinga for his constant call for peace saying, “he had been preparing this all along even when the case was before the Supreme Court.”

Mr. Bombande further noted that there were no political activities and gatherings “in the name of the petitioners and he had always echoed the message of peace and I thought that that is one important area Ghanaians should listen to.”

He added that when an individual or a group has a petition in court, “you should be creating an environment that in itself be reason for which violence is plausible.”
 
Source: Citifmonline