Supreme Court Ruling: NDC shot themselves in the foot by revealing their strategy - Ayikoi Otoo
Accra, Ghana - October 18, 2024 - Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has slammed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for their tactical ineptness and loquaciousness, which he claims has consistently undermined their parliamentary endeavors.
Ayikoi Otoo made these remarks on Accra-based Citi FM, referencing the Supreme Court's recent decision to halt the Speaker's ruling that declared four parliamentary seats vacant. He contended that the NDC's propensity for publicly disclosing their plans enabled their opponents, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to strategize and counter their moves.
The former Attorney General cautioned the NDC to adopt a more discreet approach, emphasizing the importance of strategy and tactical maneuvering in politics. He criticized the NDC's tendency to "shoot themselves in the foot" by broadcasting their intentions, thereby alerting their opponents and prompting them to take countermeasures.
Ayikoi Otoo also addressed the Supreme Court's swift attention to the case, attributing it to the urgent nature of the ex parte application. He distinguished this from other cases, such as the LGBT case, which was filed on notice.
The NDC's public declarations, including plans to reconstitute committees and amend laws, had provided the NPP with sufficient grounds to seek legal redress, Ayikoi Otoo noted.
He concluded that the NDC's lack of strategic foresight had ultimately led to their downfall.
"I think I will take this opportunity to advise the NDC, I think they shot themselves in the foot by talking too much. You talk about strategies and tactics and I think it is lost on them [NDC] completely, and they were doing things, which really frightened the Majority and pushed them into trying to protect whatever. We [NDC] are going to amend laws, change this... just keep quiet and do your thing, at the end of the day, when you get whatever you want to get fine."
"Anything you want to do think about your strategy and tactics and stop making too much noise. The noise [from the NDC] was such that when you frighten somebody [NPP side], the basic instinct of a man is to protect his life and to survive. All the things they [NDC] did, compelled the Majority to take this decision they have taken."
"When you file a motion on notice, then both sides must be served. The thing the Judiciary doesn't want is not giving a hearing before condemning anybody.
so they told us their intentions when they take over on Tuesday, and these are the matters that required something to be done about them, if you don't do anything about them, then it means they are going to run riot and do whatever they want within the period and you know that within this time, nobody can hold a by-election, so the danger is that, something had got to be done or things will go haywire."
"Now remember, for example when you asked the NPP presidential candidate [Bawumia] to amend the E-levy, what you were in effect was that, the Appropriation Law based on these levies must also go away and that is why he [Bawumia] said wait for me to take over power then will do the amendment because we are depending on these taxes to fund certain projects.
"So when the NDC gave notice ahead that next week, immediately they become Majority this is what they are going to do, you don't see the chaos and the confusion...,"
Source: Lead News Online
