Their names might sound similar but they live in two distinct worlds. One, by the powers vested in him and his eight other colleagues by the 1992 Constitution, is on the heels of the other, while the “hunted” has over the weekend rendered numerous apologies on various radio networks.
Ghanaians will this morning have a live view of Mr Stephen Atubiga standing before Mr Justice William Atuguba and his panel members, to render an unqualified apology to the Supreme Court for making prejudicial comments about the ongoing presidential election petition.
Mr Atubiga, a member of the communication team of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), will be on the spotlight with Mr Kenneth Agyei Kuranchie, Editor of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, and Kwaku Boahen, the Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser of the NDC.
The “hunted” three were alleged to have acted in contravention of the Supreme Court’s June, 24, 2013 order which directed all persons to desist from making prejudicial comments and distortion of facts in the ongoing presidential election petition.
They were on June 27, 2013 ordered to appear before the court, barely 24 hours after the court had barred the Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Sammy Awuku, from attending hearing of the case until the final determination of the matter for making inappropriate comments in connection with the court’s June 24 order.
Stephen Atubiga, NDC CommunicatorOther
members of the Supreme Court panel are: Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs
Justice Sophia Adinyira, Ms Justice Rose C. Owusu, Mr Justice Jones
Dotse, Mr Justice Anin Yeboah, Mr Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice
N. S. Gbadegebe and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo.The Offences
Mr Atubiga is said to have warned that the NDC would not accept the verdict of the court if the first petitioner and 2012 Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was declared the President of the country.
Ken Kuranchie is being summoned before the court for a front page comment he published in the Thursday, June 27, 2013 edition of his newspaper.
For crossing the court’s final touchline which warned lawyers, journalists, political activists and social commentators to desist from making prejudicial comments about the election petition with effect from June 24, 2013, the three are expected to appear before the court by 10: a.m today.
Although the court, on the day Mr Awuku was sanctioned, warned that henceforth any other person or groups of persons who appeared before it over contemptuous comments would face harsher punishment by the court, it is not clear what the court would do to the three.
June 27, 2013 Summons
Affirming its resolve to nip in the bud loose speech and any form of write- ups that will endanger national security, the Supreme Court in the afternoon of June 27, 2013 issued written summons to the three persons to appear before it this morning.
Three separate summons, all dated June 27, 2013 and signed by the presiding judge, Mr Justice Atuguba, and the acting Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr James Mensah, directed the affected persons to appear before the court and answer for their utterances.
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