Lawyer and National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team member, Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo, has challenged remarks attributed to Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin describing aspects of the judiciary as a “kangaroo” system.
Tameklo argues that previous politically sensitive court rulings have proceeded under unusual circumstances without similar public criticism from the now Minority Leader.
Edudzi Tameklo, in a detailed statement, recounted events surrounding the January 6, 2021 injunction that barred then Assin North MP-elect, James Gyakye Quayson, from being sworn into Parliament.
According to him, the injunction granted before the substantive election petition was heard—was processed and executed under what he described as extraordinary speed.
Recounting the 2021 Assin North Injunction
Edudzi Tameklo claimed that prior to the ruling, he and fellow counsel Abraham Amaliba had prepared objections to the injunction application and anticipated that the court would decline the request.
He said intelligence he received a day earlier suggested the injunction would nevertheless be granted due to heightened political concerns ahead of the election of a new Speaker and the swearing-in of the President-elect.
He alleged that after the ruling was delivered, court officials delayed the filing of a notice of appeal, while arrangements were made simultaneously to dispatch the injunction order to Parliament.
According to his account, the order was transported from Cape Coast to Accra with the assistance of a police dispatch rider and was served before the swearing-in ceremony later that evening.
Edudzi Tameklo further claimed that a current Court of Appeal judge was involved in facilitating the rapid movement of the order—though he did not provide documentary proof to substantiate the allegation.
Reference to Supreme Court Proceedings
The lawyer also cited a previous case filed by Afenyo-Markin at the Supreme Court, in which an ex parte application was heard and determined on a Friday an unusual occurrence, he argued, given that the apex court rarely sits on Fridays.
He noted that five justices were mobilized on the day of filing, describing the development as unprecedented in recent years.
Context of Current Criticism
Tameklo contrasted these past events with Afenyo-Markin’s recent comments on the Kpandai parliamentary election petition ruling. Unlike the 2021 Assin North case, he noted, the Kpandai petition was fully heard, with witnesses called and cross-examined before judgment was delivered.
Call for Temperance
While acknowledging that political actors may disagree with judicial outcomes, Tameklo urged restraint in public commentary, arguing that strong language directed at the judiciary risks undermining public confidence in state institutions.
Afenyo-Markin has not yet publicly responded to the claims or addressed the historical comparisons drawn by Tameklo.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
