Minority Not Divided Over Ayine’s Suit Against Amidu- Inusah

Tamale Central MP, Inusah Fuseini, has refuted suggestions that the National Democratic Congress [NDC] Minority is divided over the suit by caucus member, Dominic Ayine, against the nomination of Martin Amidu as the Special Prosecutor.

Mr. Fuseini insisted on Eyewitness News that the though the Minority was in support of the appointment of Mr. Amidu, Dr. Ayine was entitled to defend the provisions of the constitution on his own.

Dr. Ayine, a former Deputy Attorney-General, unsuccessfully tried to get the Speaker of Parliament to defer the approval of Mr. Amidu on Tuesday, until the Supreme Court rules on his lawsuit, in line with Parliament’s Standing Orders 93(1).

“If he sees a breach of the Constitution, Dominic Ayine has a civic duty to challenge it,” the Tamale Central MP stated.

“We [the Minority] are very lucid in our thinking. We know exactly the position of the law. We have said that we support Martin Amidu. We will support him and we have passed him. We didn’t vote against him. But we are saying we will also uphold the laws of the Republic of this country and we will not condone illegalities,” Mr. Fussein explained further.

“The rule of law is as important for the substantive law as it is for the procedure. So in all the motions and the steps you have to take, you can arrest the work of the Appointments Committee or the nomination of the President and that is what Dominic Ayine sought to do.”

‘Too old’

Dr. Ayine’s suit at the Supreme Court contends that Mr. Amidu, being 66 years of age, is too old to hold public office as Special Prosecutor per what the constitution says.

Dominic Ayine [L] and Martin Amidu [R].

In his argument, he said the Office of the Special Prosecutor falls under the broad category of public officers who by the constitution must retire by age 60, or latest by age 65, via an extension.

He is seeking a declaration that Mr. Amidu is not qualified or eligible to be nominated as the Special Prosecutor.

Source: Citifmonline