In a surprising turn of events at the High Court in Ho on 21st December 2023, John Peter Amewu, applied for time to finally reply to the petition against him and the Electoral Commission (EC) by Prof. Margaret Kwaku and others.
The presiding judge, Justice Owoahene Acheampong was to have delivered a ruling on a motion for judgment based on admissions made by the EC.
However, he disclosed that just as he was finalizing his ruling for delivery that day, certain papers had been filed in the Court by a lawyer on behalf of the 2nd Respondent to the Petition, Mr Amewu, who doubles as the Railway Development Minister.
Justice Acheampong indicated that the 2nd Respondent had asked for time to file his answer to the Petition and was also asking for the arrest of the ruling scheduled for that day. These applications on behalf of the 2nd Respondent had been set for hearing on 22nd January 2024.
Mr. Benedict Kofitse, the lawyer who filed the papers on behalf of Mr Amewu, was in court.
Counsel for the Petitioners, Tsatsu Tsikata, indicated that he had not been served with any of the papers. He would, however, not be opposed in principle to Mr Amewu being given the chance to file his answer to the Petition even though this was belated.
Mr. Tsikata stated that it was not necessary to wait until 22nd January 2024 for this to happen, since there was no opposition to the application and the court could bring forward the hearing of that application and make the order for the belated filing of the answer.
He emphasized that there was urgency about the situation of the SALL Traditional Areas not having representation in the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic even as the final year of that Parliament was approaching.
As regards the application to arrest the ruling on the application for judgment based on admissions made by the Electoral Commission also, Mr. Tsikata suggested that an earlier date than 22nd January 2024 should be fixed.
Counsel for the 1st Respondent, the EC, Sakyi Boapong, indicated to the court that he had been served with the papers filed on behalf of Amewu and stated that he would need time to file a response to the application for the arrest of the ruling that was to have been delivered that day.
After Justice Acheampong had heard from all three lawyers, he brought forward the hearing of the application for late filing by the 2nd Respondent to respond to the petition to that day.
He gave Peter Amewu fourteen days from the 21st of December 2023 to file his answer. The court accepted the entry of appearance filed on behalf of Mr Amewu though filed late.
The motion for the ruling of the court on the motion for judgment on admissions to be arrested was also fixed for 9th January 2024.
