The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it once again considering deploying lawyers to all the 275 constituencies ahead of the 2024 elections.
This is to help in all legal matters involving the electoral process across the country.
National Chairman of NDC, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, made this known at a two-day conference for lawyers of the party over the weekend. He asked that the recommended policy be implemented with dispatch.
The one lawyer, one constituency was implemented by the party for the 2020 elections, but still the ended it in court with inability to collate results via the pink sheets.
With Tsatsu Tsikata leading the NDC legal team in court the party’s petition to overturn the election results was dismissed when the petitioner, John Mahama failed to file evidence in court.
The petitioner himself was in court only once during the hearing process, giving an indication that he was fighting a losing battle.
According to Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, who is standing trial in court for an alleged plot to attack the Electoral Commission chairperson, there is the need for lawyers to be deployed even earlier than 2024 to familiarise themselves with the constituencies and in some cases transfer their votes “and be part of those constituencies”.
“If we can ensure that we get people who will volunteer to be assigned to constituencies and then be introduced to the constituencies, work with them, visit them, have meetings with them and then by the time we get into the [2024] elections, they would have been part and parcel of those constituencies.”
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo indicated that he has been tasked by the former President, John Dramani Mahama, who was at the same event, to see to the implementation of this policy.
The chairman, who is seeking re-election, therefore appealed for a legal aid fund from party members, who are lawyers but not readily available to offer their services, to help those on the ground.
He seized the opportunity to pay glowing tributes to the party’s lawyers who work through thick and thin to represent the party in the courts.
The Chairman of the Legal Committee of the NDC is Abraham Amaliba, under whose auspices the 2nd Annual Lawyers Conference was held.
