Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has said he will not fault the Chief Justice for scheduling the case filed by Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, seeking an interlocutory injunction over the approval of ministerial nominees of the President.
According to him, the Attorney-General applied for an expedited hearing over the matter which is legal.
Speaking Saturday, March 30, 2024, on the KeyPoints on TV3, Mr. Ayariga indicated that he is waiting on what the Chief Justice would do regarding the Legislature’s petition over the matter before he can pass a comment over the actions of Gertrude Torkonoo.
“This is purely an administrative matter that the Chief Justice will have to determine. I honestly will not fault the Chief Justice or the Supreme Court in this matter. I am happy the Speaker’s lawyers have also taken the steps the Attorney General took to write to the Chief Justice to demand an expedited hearing. It is the reaction of the Chief Justice in this instance that it will be determined whether the Chief Justice is biased or not.
“So I will not rush in passing judgment about the conduct of the Chief Justice because the AG has a good defense.”
Parliament has formally requested the Chief Justice to expedite the hearing of cases related to the Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQI+/Gay Bill.
In a petition submitted Friday, March 28, 2024, Parliament’s legal representatives emphasised the significant public interest surrounding these cases and stressed the importance of a prompt resolution to ease tensions among Ghanaians.
Highlighting the precedence set by the recent hearing of MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor’s case, the Legislature underscored the need for consistency in addressing similar legal matters.
“It will accordingly be appreciated if the parties are given a very early date to expedite the hearing of the applications pending before the Court. We trust that as the applications raise matters of public interest, you will give our letter the attention it deserves,” portions of Parliament’s statement indicated.
The petition specifically referenced ongoing lawsuits filed by Richard Dela Sky and Dr. Amanda Odoi, both challenging the anti-gay bill on grounds of constitutional violations of homosexual rights.
Their legal actions seek to prevent President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from assenting the bill into law.
Already, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the apex court of bias for its decision to prioritise the hearing of the application by South Dayi MP, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, over the approval of ministerial and deputy ministerial nominees, while the case against the anti-LGBTQ Bill filed earlier by Richard Sky, remains pending.
The NDC alleged that the move reflects a conspiracy by the court to aid the government in facilitating their nominees’ approval in Parliament while delaying executive action on the Anti-LGBTQ bill.
Scheduling political cases in Supreme Court: NDC accuses CJ of judicial bias
