The Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission to with immediate effect, stop running adverts for the impending national voter registration exercise scheduled to begin July 25, 2014.
The ruling also affected the EC’s intended registration exercise because the 7-member panel, presided over by Chief Justice Georgina Wood, could not come up with its judgment on Thursday as planned.
The order was made after lawyers for the National Youth Organiser of the Peoples National Convention Abu Ramadan, applied for an interlocutory injunction against the registration process.
Citi News reporter, Umaru Sanda Amadu who was in court reported that, “The EC was ordered within 30 minutes to call all media houses and halt the advertisement that talks about the registration exercise that starts tomorrow.’’
According to him the judge reprimanded the EC for going ahead with adverts on the registration, even when an injunction had been sought in the highest court of the land.
He rebuked the EC and warned such acts would not be tolerated.
The Electoral Commission announced two weeks ago that it will from July 25, register persons who have now turned 18 years and persons who could not register during the previous registration exercise.
Abu Ramadan is seeking to prevent the EC from going ahead to register new voters ahead of the 2016 elections.
He insists the modalities, including the use of National Health Insurance Cards which are being used by the EC for the registration process were unlawful and unacceptable.
Lawyer for the EC, James Quarshie Idun, prayed the court to allow the registration from tomorrow but President of the seven-member panel, Chief Justice Georgina Wood ruled ‘’that the situation will cause a lot of difficulties’’.
The situation leaves the EC with no choice but to suspend the registration exercise until a judgment is made next Wednesday.
By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana