APALOO vs. ELECTORAL COMMISSION [2001]DLSC1165

Date	2001-01-17
Suit No.
Citation No.	[2001]DLSC1165

BAMFORD-ADDO JSC

AMPIAH JSC

KPEGAH JSC

ATUGUBA JSC

LAMPTEY JSC

N K KUDJAWU (WITH HIM SENA KUDJAWU (MISS)) FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

J QUASHIE-IDUN (WITH HIM EBOW QUASHIE AND KADUARNA OSEI) FOR THE DEFENDANT.

DR OBED ASAMOAH ATTORNEY-GENERAL (WITH HIM S Y ANIM CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE REPUBLIC.

[2001]DLSC1165
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">APALOO<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">ELECTORAL COMMISSION<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[2001-2002]
2 GLR 372<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 17 JANUARY 2001<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>N K
KUDJAWU (WITH HIM SENA KUDJAWU (MISS)) FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<o:p></o:p>J
QUASHIE-IDUN (WITH HIM EBOW QUASHIE AND KADUARNA OSEI) FOR THE DEFENDANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DR
OBED ASAMOAH, ATTORNEY-GENERAL (WITH HIM S Y ANIM, CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY) FOR
THE REPUBLIC. <o:p></o:p>

BAMFORD-ADDO,
AMPIAH, KPEGAH, ATUGUBA AND LAMPTEY JSC<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>Bamford-Addo JSC. <o:p></o:p>On
4 December 2000 this case was heard at the Supreme Court which delivered a unanimous
judgment on the same day but reserved the reasons, to be given on 17 January
2001. The following is my reasons in support of the said unanimous decision.
The plaintiff who claims to be a citizen of Ghana and a registered voter,
issued a writ dated 29 November 2000 invoking the original jurisdiction of this
court under article 2(1)(b) of the Constitution, 1992 for:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(1)
A declaration that the decision and directives of the defendant, that only a
photo identity card will be accepted by the defendant to enable voters to vote
at the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled to take
place on 7 December 2000 or in the alternative that prospective voters without
a photo ID will be permitted to vote only with the unanimous affirmation of the
said voters’ identity by the agents of all the candidates as contained in the
Gazette Notice dated 27 November 2000 and the Electoral Commission of Ghana’s
Guide to Electoral Officials 2000, is an act of the defendant which is
inconsistent with or is in contravention of articles 42 and 51 of the
Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and therefore null and void.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">&nbsp;(2) An order of perpetual injunction
restraining the defendant by itself, its servants and agents from enforcing the
defendants’ ‘No Photo ID Card No vote Directives’ or the directives contained
in the Gazette Notice dated 27 November 2000 in respect of voters without a
voter ID card contained in the Electoral Commission’s Guide to Election
Officials 2000. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(3)
Any other directions as to give effect to or enable effect to be given to the
declaration herein sought.”<o:p></o:p>The
basis of the plaintiff’s claim is that even though numerous eligible voters in
the country were in possession of thumbprint identity cards who have not as yet
been issued with photo identity cards the defendant had decided and published
in a Gazette Notice dated 27 November 2000 directives that in the forthcoming
presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 December 2000 only
photo identity card holders will be allowed by the defendant to vote. That the
defendant had further directed that a prospective voter without a photo ID card
will only be permitted to vote with the unanimous affirmation of the said
voter’s identity by all the candidates or party agents, that they know that
person as stated in the Guide to Election Officials 2000 at p 24, para 1.2.
That the act of the defendant is inconsistent with or</main>