The Member of Parliament for South Dayi Rockson-Nelson Dafeamakpor says the Electoral Commission Chairperson and her deputies are in the wrong court with their suit over the alleged leak of content in the petition to remove them.
According to the lawmaker, who is a lawyer, matters that bother on reputational damage as being claimed by the EC chair and her deputies are addressed at the High Court and not the Supreme Court.
“The jurisdiction they have chosen is an abuse of the judicial process. It’s a matter of their reputation so the place to go is the High Court not the Supreme Court. In this case, it is their reputation they say has been damaged so they must go to High court. It is not an interpretation issue, it is an alleged attack on their reputation so the forum is wrong per our legal procedure,” the MP told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Thursday.
The chairperson and her deputies have claimed in their suit that the content of the petition has been leaked causing them public ridicule.
In a writ filed at the Supreme Court to invoke the original jurisdiction of the Apex Court on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, the EC Chair and her deputies are asking for five reliefs including “A declaration that the airing of the contents of the Petition by 1st Defendant to the media (Traditional and social) has subjected 1st, 2nd and 3rd Plaintiffs to public ridicule, hatred, opium and opprobrium and equally exposed them to unfair prejudice.”
They are also seeking “An order of perpetual injunction directed against 2nd Defendant (Chief Justice) from determining, dealing or having anything to do in any manner whatsoever and/or howsoever, with any issues arising out of the contents of Petitioners Petition or at all.”
They also seek “orders and/or directions as this honourable court may deem fit to give effect or enable effect to be given to the orders of this court.”
Attached is the full writ filed at the Supreme Court
http://herald.233prime.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/EC-sues-CJ-and-AG.pdf
