Tony Aidoo To NPP: The Dumbest Thing To Do Is To Seek For Review

Reports trickling in are that the New Patriotic Party has set up a three member committee to review the ruling delivered by the Supreme Court Justices on the 2012 election petition they filed. The General Secretary for the party, Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie discloses that the idea for a review was fuelled by comments by lead counsel for the third respondent, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata. Mr. Tsikata is on record to have accused Justice Anin-Yeboah, one of the nine Justices who heard the case of allowing partisan motivations to colour his judgment in the case. For this reason Lawyer Owusu Afriyie insists that it has therefore become necessary for the NPP to examine the judgement critically to determine whether justice was administered or not. But former Head of Policy Evaluation and Monitoring Unit at the Presidency, Dr. Tony Aidoo assets a different opinion. He believes the dumbest endeavor for the petitioners to embark on after the final ruling is to seek a review. Although he sees the move for a review as their constitutional right, he envisages it would be an exercise in futility. He argues that the NPP is missing a certain point. Dr. Aidoo explained in an interview with United Television (UTV) that the 2012 election petition is a national issue and for this reason believes the concept of public policy would influence the judges to dismiss the review. "If the judges come to a realization that the review could spark violence in the country, they wouldn�t provide favorable conditions for it to germinate. �When such review is brought before them, they could pretend to be listening to the case but would refuse to pronounce judgment on it,� he said.