AFAG, Young Patriots Weep For Sir John

Pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) groups, the Alliance for Accountable Governance and the Young Patriots, have appealed to the Justices of the Supreme Court to tamper justice with mercy in dealing with the party�s scribe, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, also known as Sir John. While AFAG is calling on the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship, Georgina Woode, to intervene in Sir John and a party communicator, Hopeson Adorye�s invitation to appear before the nine member panel on Wednesday, the Young Patriots are urging the judges to re-consider their decision as their secretary has shown enough commitment to the peace of this country. �The NPP General Secretary had issued guidelines on how to comment on the case and had toured the country to sensitise NPP to accept the verdict of the court regardless of how it goes,� President of Young Patriot, Richard Nyamah, said at a news conference yesterday. For AFAG, any charge against Messrs Afriyie and Adorye would open a Pandora box which will derail efforts towards peace at this crucial point when the nation awaits the final verdict of the election petition. It said in a statement issued yesterday that the recent comments by President John Mahama that he would be vindicated by the eventual verdict of the Supreme Court and that of Owula Mongotey to the effect that nothing short of a declaration for President Mahama would be tolerated are as contemptuous as that of the former. �We hold the view that all well-meaning Ghanaians have over-looked these statements as a result of the enormous confidence the people of Ghana have in the Justice Atuguba-led panel. It is however worthy to note that guided by the incarceration of Mr. Ken Kuranchie and Mr. Atubiga, the NPP General Secretary has largely been responsible and civil in all his words,� it noted. The Young Patriots on the other hand did not mince words in detailing comments made by National Democratic Congress (NDC) sympathizers which they claim are contemptuous. According to them, the first gentleman of the land, President John Dramani Mahama, on 7th August, 2013 told the Muslim community that the Supreme Court will affirm him as the legitimately elected President of Ghana. A host of Multi TV�s, Majority Caucus, Ali Dawood, on 25th June, 2013 was also said to have noted that the Supreme Court cannot overturn any elections in Ghana, not in 2013 or ever. Accordingly, AFAG called on Justice Georgina Wood to use her good office to wade into the matter to avert any potential skirmish this untimely invitation would pose to the security and stability of the state. The group asserted that the mood of the country is geared towards judgment and with few days away, the interest of the country would be best served if the justices channel all energies in that direction as opposed to summoning persons. We have had enough and can�t afford to buy time anymore. �Indeed, given the unprecedented nature of the Presidential Petition, many wondered where Ghana would be headed by unjustifiably questioning the motives of the three petitioners and also raising questions on our institutional capacity to effectively deal with the matter,� it observed. AFAG recalled that �some eight months on, we have through our collective efforts proved all the skeptics wrong by collectively demonstrating to the entire world that where others resort to machetes and various forms of unconventional means to seek redress, we can always do so by solely relying on our institutions of state created for such ends.� It further indicated that �today by our collective action Ghana has yet again become a shining example to the rest of the continent. Recent events in Zimbabwe after her recently held election are a testament to this fact.� For them, whiles our collective conduct has till date been remarkable, it remains an indisputable fact that with the end in sight, the entire nation sits on tenterhooks. �Thus it behooves all and sundry, especially the nine Justices of the Supreme Court, who have the final say in the matter to make a conscious effort to ensure that we do not by our actions exacerbate the tension ahead of the final judgment lest we erode all the gains we have made so far,� it stressed. AFAG sent a special congratulatory message to the good people of Ghana �on our matured conduct exhibited in the last eight months�.