Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says the government should not be drawn into the controversy surrounding the Electoral Commission’s (EC) recently held meeting.
He said the plaintiffs should use the appropriate means to seek redress and not blame the government for the EC’s action.
Some officials of the Electoral Commission of Ghana held a meeting on Saturday morning despite a court injunction directing a halt of a planned workshop.
Some have blamed the government for this action saying that the EC has their support hence they flouted the court directive.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah however says the EC is an independent body and people should not draw the government into this saga.
“I am sure we will get some more clarity on what actually happened, I think people should stop pretending, when it suits their purpose, they say the EC is independent if it doesn’t they say the government is the one controlling the EC. We all know that the EC is an independent institution, they are doing something which persons have issues with, there are legal processes they can go through to stop them so let us not draw government into this”, he said on Joy TV.
The injunction on the said meeting held by the EC followed an action by the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram.
Sam George secured an injunction against the EC’s decision to hold a workshop at the City Escape Hotel from April 24 to 29, in his Constituency.
The meeting was to be held in three different batches in order to observe the social distancing protocols. The ex-parte injunction was granted by the Tema High Court.
Some less than 20 officials of the commission, however, met at the said location on the morning of Saturday, April 25, 2020, for a meeting.
The premises of the hotel was filled with some government vehicles. Police who later arrived at the location after reports from some NDC members who visited the place confirmed that some officials from the EC were indeed in the hotel.
They, however, maintained that it wasn’t a formal meeting, but a meeting at the lobby of the hotel.
Sam George says he will file a contempt action in court against the EC for defying the injunction on their workshop.
