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Abu Ramadan, the former National Youth Organiser of the People’s National Convention (PNC) is likely to return to court following the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) not to remove the NHIS names in the electoral register.

He will be praying the court to punish the EC for disregarding its (Supreme Court's) earlier ruling.

Abu Ramadan sued the Electoral Commission (EC) over the credibility of the current voter’s register. Subsequently, the Supreme Court ruled that the EC should remove 600,000 names of dead persons from the current voter’s register.

Apart from that, the EC is to delete the names of over 4 million people who registered inappropriately (with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card), and to also give the affected persons the opportunity to register again using appropriate identifications.

However, the EC says they will not remove the names of people who registered with the NHIS.

Speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi in an interview on Friday’s edition of ‘Kokrokoo’, Nana Asante Bediatuo, counsel for Abu Ramadan said what the EC is doing is tantamount to contempt of court because they are going against the ruling of the Supreme Court.

“…the SC ordered the EC to take steps immediately to delete or as it’s popularly known clean the current voters register to conform to the 1992 constitution…and so if they want to use this process, it is against the ruling. It’s surprising what the EC is saying…they have completely missed the point. Refusal to implement the orders of the court amounts to criminal prosecution. Under article 24, it constitutes a high crime not to obey the orders of the court. My client wants us to proceed to court to put the EC in line.”

EC Boss To Be Jailed If...?

Meanwhile a private legal practitioner Samson Lardy Anyenini, says if Mr Abu Ramadan files the contempt of court case he has threatened against Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) and eventually wins, the Chair of the Commission could be jailed for up to 10 years and subsequent to her imprisonment, get barred from holding an elective office for another 10 years, private legal practitioner.

“…In respect of the Supreme Court, when you have acted in disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court, it is an offence called high crime and high crime according to the constitution is a ground for removal or impeachment of the President or the Vice President if they are the ones who are disobeying the orders...But if it is not the president or the vice president and it is any officer like the EC the law says you are liable and so he [Abu Ramadan ] will be required to prove that the EC disobeyed the orders the EC.”

“…What that means is that if the court makes that clarification that the orders included the removal of names of persons who registered with NHIS cards then the EC definitely will be punished,” he told Class FM.