Election Petition: Supreme Court adjourns hearing to Monday, February 1

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The Supreme Court has adjourned hearing of the election petition to Monday February 1 after hearing on Friday January 29.

The court began cross-examination of the witnesses of the petitioners on Friday.

The first to be cross-examined was the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia who had been picked by the petitioner, John Mahama as one of his witnesses.

Mr Asiedu Nketia told the court that he did not mention in his witness statement that after the 2020 elections the petitioner, John Dramani Mahama told the whole world at a press conference that he won the elections.

This was after lead counsel for the 2nd respondent, Akoto Ampaw, put it to him while under cross-examination that, soon after the results were announced, the NDC held series of press conferences led by the petitioner to tell the world that he had won.

After Mr Ampaw said that to him, he retorted that “My Lords that is not in my witness statement.”

During an earlier cross examination by lawyer for the 1st Respondent, the Electoral Commission (EC) on the same day, Mr Asiedu Nketia requested a calculator to enable him add figures to make his case while being crossed examined).

He was accordingly, given the calculator by the court amidst laughter by some persons in the Supreme Court room.

The petitioner, Mr John Dramani Mahama also picked another member of the NDC Mr Michael Kpessah-Whyte to testify in the case. He is yet to appear in the witness box.

Mr Nketia had told the court in his witness statement that there has never been any election in which the 1st Respondent, the Electoral Commission (EC) has admitted a catalogue of errors than in the 2020 presidential elections.

He said that “In no previous Presidential Election in the Fourth Republic in Ghana has there been such a catalogue of admitted errors as in what happened after the 7th December 2020 Presidential elections.

“In all previous Presidential Elections, results collated at each constituency collation centre were transmitted directly by fax from 1st Respondent’s regional offices (without collation), to what is usually referred to as the ‘strongroom’  at its head office in Accra, and handed over to the representatives of the candidates, for them to scrutinize and then certify.

“In those previous Presidential Elections, when 1st Respondent declared the final results, they were based on the collated results from the constituencies which were duly certified by representatives of the candidates in the strong room.”

By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana

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