NIA judgement: Common Sense on vacation under Akufo-Addo – NDC Youth Organizer

The deputy Greater Accra Regional Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Amos Blessing Amorse, says he cannot wrap his head over why the Akufo-Addo-led government went to court to overturn a decision to halt mass registering of people at a time coronavirus was fast spreading across the country.

“When you analyze what is happening under the Akufo-Addo government, the only reasonable conclusion you could come to is that common sense has gone on vacation under this government,” Mr Amorse said in an interview.

According to him the government need not wait for private citizens to go to court to stop the National Identification Authority from registering people, adding that “immediately the President gave the directive, all agencies under him ought to have halted their operations but he looked on and probably goaded them to continue the registration in furtherance of his ambition of holding on to power”.

“It is sad that the same people who the private citizens went to court to protect are the same people whose taxes were used to procure a lawyer from the President’s private law firm to clear the road for the NIA to continue it’s nonsense. Ghanaians have never elected such a heartless person as President,” he added.

A High Court in Accra has dismissed an injunction application seeking to stop the National Identification Authority from continuing with its registration in the Eastern Region.

According to the court, the NIA’s decision to go ahead with the registration is not against the President’s directive suspending all public gatherings.

The Judge, Justice Anthony Oppong explained that the directive did not stop operations of businesses but rather asked operators to observe certain protocols including social distancing.

He further added that the function of NIA as an agency of government never compromised in observing the protocols put in place.

Reacting to the judgment, the NDC deputy Regional Youth Organizer said though the judge has stated his opinion, “such a decision is, respectfully, bereft of common Sense. Judgments like this further deepen the judiciary’s reputational crisis. Go on the street and interview Ghanaians on this judgment and you’ll hear the things people are saying about the judiciary.”

“Unfortunately for the President, though his wishes have been granted, the NIA cannot go ahead with the registration because they have long been injuncted in another suit at another High Court differently constituted,” he explained.