The Ho High Court has directed Peter Amewu, the second respondent in the ongoing SALL election denial case, to provide his testimony on July 2, 2024.
This decision follows an assertion by Peter Amewu’s counsel that he was unavailable for court proceedings due to a national assignment, as reported by Myjoyonline.com.
Counsel for the petitioners, Tsatsu Tsikata, raised concerns about the conduct of the second respondent, highlighting that his absence from the court undermined the authority of the judiciary.
Peter Amewu had previously evaded court bailiffs for nearly a year, and there were allegations of violence inflicted by his associates on bailiffs.
During the proceedings, the court introduced two additional issues to the trial at the request of Mr. Amewu’s counsel. These issues questioned the constitutionality of the enactment of C.I 128 and the authority of the Electoral Commission to place the SALL communities under the Jasikan District.
Legal representatives engaged in a rigorous debate over these additional issues. Counsel for the petitioners argued that the existing court-set issues already covered these matters, while Mr. Amewu’s counsel contended that the court lacked jurisdiction to declare C.I 128 unconstitutional, citing Article 130(1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission’s counsel supported this position, emphasizing that C.I 128 governed the 2020 elections nationwide. In response, Mr. Tsikata clarified that the focus of the case was specifically on the Hohoe constituency and the validity of C.I 128 concerning the exclusion of SALL traditional areas from that constituency.
Ultimately, the court ruled that if the second respondent intended to file additional witness statements following the introduction of the new issues, they must do so within three days.
Counsel for the second respondent indicated the possibility of not submitting further witness statements and suggested that Mr. Amewu might choose not to testify at all.
ghanaweb.com
