Punish for failed election petitions –Dr. Afari-Gyan

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the former Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, has put forth a proposition regarding the handling of unsuccessful election petitions in the law courts. In a speech given at the Constitutional Day Public Lecture organized by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School and the One Ghana Movement, Dr. Afari-Gyan highlighted the need for punitive sanctions as a deterrent to individuals who frequently resort to court with election petitions.

Dr. Afari-Gyan expressed concern that some candidates use these petitions as a means to appease their supporters and financiers by alleging result manipulation, with the hope of securing another opportunity to participate in future elections. Dr. Afari-Gyan also pointed to the negative impact of such rushed petitions on the reputation of the Electoral Commission and the burden they place on the courts.

Drawing attention to the situation in Nigeria, where there are currently over one thousand election petitions pending from the 2023 elections, he urged measures to be taken to prevent a similar trend from taking hold in Ghana. To address this issue, he suggested that unsuccessful election petitions should face punitive sanctions, thus discouraging their frivolous filing.