#OccupyJulorBiHouse: Police had no basis to go to court – Inusah Fuseini

According to a former ranking member of the Parliament’s Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee, the Police will be abdicating their duty if they do not offer protection to protesters who plan to picket the government building on Thursday.

Inusah Fuseini revealed why the police had not followed all the procedural formalities before going to court to try to stop the demonstration in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday.

As a result, the police had no reason to file a lawsuit.

“The right to go to court under Section 6 (of the Public Order) has three conditions: there must be a refusal to change the route or a refusal to comply within 48 hours that invokes the rights of the police to go to court. The police cannot just get up and go to court,” he said.

“My understanding is that the police have not notified the demonstrators to either hold, postpone, or change the route of their demonstration, and neither have the demonstrators written back under Section 5 to refuse to comply and so Section 6, which invokes the jurisdiction of the court to step in, has not even materialised.

In order to resolve the standoff between them and the protesters, Mr. Fuseini urged the police administration to thoroughly examine the Public Order Act, Act 936 Section 1, Subsections 1 to 7.

“So the police will be shirking their responsibility if they fail to provide protection to the demonstrators tomorrow- Thursday because there are procedural requirements,” he said

His remarks come after the Ghana Police Service said that it had effectively assisted the Democracy Hub, who had intended to picket the Jubilee House from Thursday, September 21, to Saturday, September 23, 2023, in accordance with their scheduled demonstration.

According to Democracy Hub, a civil society organization with offices in Accra, the demonstration’s purpose is to call on the president and other members of the economic management team to “#FixTheCountry” in light of the extent of economic mismanagement and theft that has gripped the government at all levels. The start date was set on Nkrumah’s Memorial Day.

Additionally, the protest will allow residents an opportunity to express their opposition to any other government policy decisions as well as the potential military action in Niger.

In contrast to what the Service has suggested, Democracy Hub claims they have not received any court papers from the Police.

According to the group, the Police maintained a façade throughout their interaction, “making us believe that they will respect the law and fulfill their obligations under the Public Order Act.”

“We are appalled by the desperate and likely partisan attempts by the Police to disrupt peaceful and democratic mobilization for our upcoming Occupy Julorbi House picket,” it stated.

The organization has also advised the public to ignore the police statement since the demonstration will go on as planned and it is “riddled with misinformation.”

“We invite the general public to assemble at the 37 Trotro Station at 6:30 am tomorrow for onward march to the Jubilee House,” it reiterated.