Audio By Carbonatix
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu has justified the failure of Minority members to honour a court invitation procured by the Ghana Police Service.
Twenty Minority MPs including Haruna Iddrisu were summoned to court for breaching the Public Order Act 1994 (Act 491), Section 1(1) and (2) and 9(a) and were expected to appear before the Accra Circuit court today.
This follows their procession to the Electoral Commission’s Head Office in Accra on December 22, 2020 to hand over a petition stating their disagreement with the recently held general elections and demanding a re-collation of the 2020 Techiman South Constituency results.
They were to report to court on Monday, however, none of the summoned MPs showed up.
Addressing the media at Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu said neither he nor his compatriots have been served any writ of summons from the court and therefore, have no legal basis to appear before the court.
He stated the Ghana Police Service should have formally served them the writ of summons instead of posting it on social media.
He revealed that some of the names mentioned in the list of summoned MPs included MPs who were not present during the procession. He also alluded to the fact that the Ghana Police Service is being used as "a tool of manipulation" by the NPP to intimidate NDC Parliamentarians.
“I have repeatedly told you that I am not a coward and I don’t intend ever to be cowed by any machination by any person including the Ghana Police Service. There is some confusion in their minds. They should seek to resolve that confusion, the Ghana Police Service.
“I have seen names like Dr. Rawlings Zanetor, she didn’t take part in the process. The honourable Adongo of Bolga didn’t take part in the process. So somebody somewhere rehearsed [sic] enemies that they’re targeting for the purpose of humiliation and to project as if we are not law-abiding citizens.
“They should resolve those confusions in their minds and come back properly in accordance with law,” he said.
He called on the Police to expend their energies in investigating and arresting those involved in electoral infractions and violence that marred the otherwise peaceful elections last month, rather than summoning NDC MPs to court.
“But even what is more remarkable and significant is that the criminals who so declared results and denied us of our mandate in Techiman are walking free. What they did is in breach of law.
“Nobody is prosecuting them, nobody is prosecuting those who shot and killed the three persons acknowledged by the EC in Techiman that this is criminal killing.
“Yet members of parliament presenting a harmless petition, and when I say the police is confused you didn’t understand. They should go and get some training in terms of the law,” he said.
However, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu says the MPs will use judicial processes to challenge the summons by the courts.
He insists the NDC MPs committed no crime when they marched to the EC headquarters because the police was adequately informed about the walk.
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