AT THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF THE GHANA INSTITUTE OF

JOURNALISM STUDENTS’ REPRESNTATIVE COUNCIL

ACCRA-AD 2020

DEFENDANT GENERAL ……………1ST PLAINTIFF

ABIWU THEODORE…………………2ND PLAINTIFF

VERSUS

SPEAKER OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY………1ST DEFENDANT

GIJ-SRC GENERAL ASSEMBLY………………2ND DEFENDANT

IN THE MATTER OF SPEAKER OF GIJ-SRC GENERAL ASSEMBLY

RULING WHICH SUPRESSES THE WILL OF THE GENERRAL
ASSEMBLY MEMEBERS ON FEBRUARY 18, 2020.

Your honorable Court is hereby petitioned to bring order and sanity into the General Assembly of the
Ghana Institute of Journalism.

This stems from the chaos which greeted the decision of the House Speaker through the use of what she
termed her “discretionary powers”.

FACTS OF THE CASE

The General Assembly of the Ghana Institute of Journalism was convened a fortnight ago
to among other things, consider the budget statement of the Students’ Representative
Council.
 Before that agenda could be discussed, there was a contention about the composition of the
General Assembly which was discussed at length.
It is a conventional practice in the House of Representatives to agree or not to a motion
moved by an honorable member by responding a “yeah yeah” or a nay nay”
Following from that, a motion was moved for the rejection or not of the proceeding from
the discussion.
All those who support the idea that the current composition of General Assembly be
maintained should respond by saying yeah yeah .
All those who disagreed with the motion should by saying nay nay as the standing orders
of General Assembly demand.
As loud as the ear of all those present could hear, the “yeah yeah” was louder as compared
with the “nay nay”.
The honorable Speaker by her “discretionary powers” said the “nay nay” had it throwing
the gathering into chaos.
This amount to self-serving and projecting one’s proclivities against the will of the people
present.

PRECEDENT

Your ladyship, an incident of this kind occurred in March 2017 with the Speaker of the General
Assembly taking the same route as this current Speaker has done.

The title of the case was Ashraf Youni; Speaker of General Assembly Versus Kabu Nartey, Kwasi
Nimo and Zak Paul Musbau (Honorable members).

The ruling of the Judicial Committee headed by His Lordship Prosper Kofi Senyo who held the
view that the decision of the Speaker was contrary to the transparency that democracy seeks to
project.

It therefore directed that the General Assembly reconvened to consider head count as a voting
method in order to bring finality to the matter.

It also directed that the proceedings of the session be brought before the Judicial Committee to
serve as a material evidence.
We pray your honorable Court to assert your independence by granting us the following
reliefs:

1. A restraining order and a perpetual injunction on the General Assembly and the
Speaker from convening and undertaking any activity for any purpose until the case
is determined.
We hold the opinion that any activity conducted under this circumstance will have
consequential effect on the Composition of the General Assembly.

2. An order directing the Speaker to use, in the spirit of transparency and accountability
a head count as a mode of voting as witnessed in the Ashraf Yuoni , General Assembly
versus Kabu Nartey and co. under the Leadership of His Lordship Prosper Senyo.

3. And any other directive your honorable Court may deem fit.

Your Lordship, it is our outmost belief that a delay in calling this all important case will throw the letter
and spirit of the constitution, we are by this appealing for a speedy date for hearing of the matter in concern
before your honorable court.

Handed this day under my hand

Evans Aziamor-Mensah

Edem Dei-Tutu

(Defense Attorneys)