Former Attorney-General Denies “Testing The Law Again” Comment

Chairman of the Committee set up by the New Patriotic Party to review the Supreme Court ruling on the 2012 Presidential election petition, Lawyer Joseph Ayikoi Otoo has denied knowledge of the party's attempt to seek a review on the case. Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo debunked claims that he had earlier hinted on an Accra-based radio station that the party may "test the law again, if it may turn to their favour." The report disclosed that he also advised the ruling National Democratic Congress "who have gone to bed with the ruling, believing everything is over" to rethink because the NPP has not outrightly ruled out the possibility of them to seek a review. Following the court ruling, the NPP constituted a Committee comprising former Attorney Generals to review the verdict and also advise the party. During the Committee's meeting, Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo is quoted to have hinted that one major reason for the convention was to decide whether the party can revoke the verdict when it goes for a review. But speaking to Radio Gold on Monday, Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo denounced the reports, stating firmly that he had been misconstrued by the media. According to him, he was only responding to the issues broached during the symposium held by the Danquah Institute last Wednesday, September 25, 2013 regarding the judgement of the Supreme Court in the Presidential election petition case. He also noted that his comments also originated from the submissions which were given by Lawyer Samuel Okudzeto, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association, that "his analysis of the 588 paged judgement, handed down by the Supreme Court on the Presidential election petition reveals that the judgement went 5-4 in favour of the petitioners." Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo explained that his comments on News File on Joy FM were intended to reflect the position of the renowned former President of the bar. “I said that when I look at the two Judges’ opinions that he (Lawyer Sam Okudzeto) referred to and looking at them, it does make some sense that whiles Mr. Justice Baffoe Bonnie said that he was ready to annul votes but the votes were insignificant; he never never stated the number of votes…While Mr. Justice Dotse said that they have to look at the KPMG report in order to annul certain votes, those things were not done. “Assuming these figures are known and they can reduce the number for President, what it means in effect is that, then, there is likely to be a run-off,” because nobody crossed the benchmark, he recounted. He further revealed that the purport of his comments was to only make a point that "those who keep on saying the time of review is past, they ought to know that you could always ask for extension of time and then you could perhaps go ahead and seek a review. Although, the party itself has made itself clear…Nana says he’s not interested in the review and the party appears to have agreed to that kind of situation." This, he expounded, was not to suggest that the party will go for a review on the petitioners' case.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana