The Supreme Court has by a unanimous decision granted the request of respondents to the election petition, President Mahama and the Electoral Commission, for “better particulars of the petitioners” from the petitioners.
The court said it was only proper that the respondents to the petition filed by three leaders of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) were told the nature of the claims against them.
The NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, his running-mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Chairman of the NPP, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey who are challenging the results of the December 2012 elections to furnish the respondents with all the details of their allegations.
Two of the three respondents, President Mahama and the Electoral Commission (EC), filed separate applications praying the Supreme Court to order the petitioners to furnish them with further and better particulars of the petition.
They said they wanted “further and better particulars” with respect to the names and codes of the 4,709 polling stations, constituencies and regions where alleged electoral irregularities took place.
The petitioners had opposed the request of the applicants, arguing that the Court ought not to allow the EC to employ an application for further and better particulars to compel them to disclose the nature of evidence they intend to lead during the trial.
Their argument however failed.
The Court also by a unanimous decision granted the petitioners’ application to direct the EC to provide them with detail records of persons abroad who voted in the elections.
They had requested details of the names and addresses of persons who were registered overseas and the mode and manner in which those persons were registered.
Source: Citifmonline
