MAYOR AGBLEZE AND OTHERS vs. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND ELECTORAL COMMISSION AND THE REPUBLIC vs. GLORIA AKUFFO AND OTHERS EX PARTE MAYOR AGBLEZE AND OTHERS [2018]DLSC3304

MAYOR AGBLEZE AND OTHERS vs. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND ELECTORAL COMMISSION AND... [2018]DLSC3304

Date	2018-10-24
Suit No.	WRIT NO. NO. J1/28/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLSC3304

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC (PRESIDING)

DOTSE JSC

YEBOAH JSC

MARFUL-SAU JSC

DORDZIE (MRS) JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

KOTEY JSC

ALBERT QUASHIGAH FOR THE APPLICANTS.

GODFRIED YEBOAH DAME DEPUTY ATTORNEY-GENERAL WITH HIM YVONNE

BANNERMAN SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY ENID MARFUL-SAU ASSISTANT STATE

ATTORNEY FOR THE 1ST RESPONDENT.

JUSTIN AMENUVOR WITH HIM MATTHEW APPIAH MIRACLE ATATSI AND HOPE AGBOADO FOR THE 2ND RESPONDENT.

[2018]DLSC3304
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MAYOR AGBLEZE AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND ELECTORAL
COMMISSION <o:p></o:p>AND<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GLORIA AKUFFO AND OTHERS EX PARTE
MAYOR AGBLEZE AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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WRIT NO. NO. J1/28/2018&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 24TH
OCTOBER, 2018&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>ALBERT
QUASHIGAH FOR THE APPLICANTS.<o:p></o:p>GODFRIED
YEBOAH DAME DEPUTY ATTORNEY-GENERAL WITH HIM YVONNE BANNERMAN SENIOR STATE
ATTORNEY ENID MARFUL-SAU ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE 1ST
RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC (PRESIDING), DOTSE JSC, YEBOAH
JSC, MARFUL-SAU JSC, DORDZIE (MRS) JSC, AMEGATCHER JSC, KOTEY JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>ADINYIRA (MRS), JSC: -<o:p></o:p>On
31st October 2018, this Court heard an application for an order to
commit for contempt of the Court four persons namely Gloria Afua Akuffo, who is
the Attorney General, Jean Mensa, the Electoral Commissioner and her two Deputy
Commissioners, Dr. Eric Asare Bosompem and Samuel Tettey; the 1st, 2nd,
3rd and 4th Respondents respectively. <o:p></o:p>The Applicants in the
contempt application are Mayor Agbleze, Destiny Awlimey and Jean- Claude Koku
Amenyaoglo who had on the 12th of September, 2018, issued a Writ No
J1/28/ 2018 in the Supreme Court against the Attorney-General and the Electoral
Commission as the 1st and 2nd Defendants respectively. In
that suit the Plaintiffs are seeking inter alia a declaration that, upon a
proper interpretation of Articles 4 (1) (5), (6) and (7) on the creation of new
regions and Article 42 on the right to vote, all persons in the subject regions
if they are not already registered are entitled to be registered and to vote in
a referendum scheduled for the 27 December 2018.<o:p></o:p>The Applicants alleged that
the 1st and 2nd Defendants went on to carry out the
registration exercise despite the pendency of the suit and so they served them
with an application for an interlocutory injunction pending the final
determination of the main suit. They complained that despite the service of the
motion on the Respondents, they went on to complete the registration exercise. <o:p></o:p>The Plaintiffs accordingly
filed a motion in this court requesting the following: <o:p></o:p>“[For] an order committing 1st , 2nd
, 3rd and 4th respondents to prison for contempt of
court, and for an order from this Honourable court against the respondents to
prevent respondents from taking any steps or continuing or persevering in any
process that is directed towards the 27th December, 2018 referendum
which steps or processes will not only undermine the main suit and a pursuant
interlocutory injunction application, but will amount to a continuing
disrespect to the court upon the grounds contained in the accompanying
affidavit.<o:p></o:p>And for any further order or orders which this
Honourable Court may deem fair and just in the circumstances.”&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;ON 31 October, 2018, the Court upon hearing
the parties, refused the application and reserved its reasons, which we are
ready to deliver today.<o:p></o:p>Before we proceed we will
like to make the following observations. <o:p></o:p>