Counsel for President Akufo-Addo, in the ongoing election petition has urged the Supreme Court to toss out the witness statement of the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
Even before the NDC General Secretary could take a breath of fresh air in the witness box at the apex court on Friday, Akoto Ampaw, who is counsel for the second respondent, strongly raised an objection to the statement provided by the petitioner’s legal team.
Mr Ampaw took offence to some arguments captured in the witness statement of the NDC stalwart.
He pointed to paragraphs 6, 7, 21, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33, and 37, allegations, he described as baseless against the Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral body, Jean Mensa.
Portions of the paragraphs captured indicates that the EC Chairperson Jean Mensa, allowed herself to be biased by her prejudice in favour of 2nd Respondent (Nana Akufo-Addo), who appointed her in August 2018 and with whose wife the EC boss has a close relationship.
The statement also suggested that the EC boss at all material times in the conduct of her responsibilities, was biased by prejudice in favour of the 2nd Respondent (Nana Akufo-Addo) and against the Petitioner, John Mahama.
“We are objecting to certain paragraphs in the witness statement of Johnson Asiedu Nketia on grounds that they are not based on the pleadings.
“They are duly prejudicial, scandalous and we pray that you strike it out as such,” he thus so prayed.
According to him, the legal team for the petitioner John Dramani Mahama, has not provided one shred of evidence to all the allegations quoted in the said paragraphs.
But the seven-member panel were not in haste to bury this one.
Mr Ampaw’s objection was greeted with an arrow of questions from each side of the panel.
The justices wondered how some of the paragraphs (32 and 33) could affect the validity of the respondent (President Nana Akufo-Addo).
The apex court advised Counsel for the President to resist going on this legal banter.
Mr Ampaw, again, insisted that the petitioners “cannot give a witness statement that is not in line with their pleadings”.
Counsel for the Electoral Commission, Justin Amenuvor associated himself with the submission of Mr Ampaw.
Second to raise eyebrows with the objection was Counsel for the Petitioner, Tsatsu Tsikata. In response to paragraph 26, he said these allegations of bias are sufficiently referenced in the pleadings.
Jumping to Mr Asiedu Nketia defense, he said paragraphs quoted are all material in these circumstances.
Paragraph 32, even shows that the EC was wrong in its figures collated, that saw the New Patriotic Party presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo winning the 2020 polls.
Aside the NDC General Secretary, Dr Michael Kpessa-Whyte, who was Mr Mahama’s representative at the Electoral Commission’s national collation centre (strong room) will testify.
Dr Kpessa-Whyte, who is yet to mount the witness box has also faulted the EC boss for shelving detected errors that affected the NDC’s fortunes.
Dr Kpessa-Whyte said that as one of Mr Mahama’s representatives in the EC’s ‘Strongroom’, he noticed many material irregularities during the entire December 7 election process.
The legal team for the Electoral Commission (EC) and President Nana Akufo-Addo will also call their witnesses to the stand.
President Akufo-Addo legal team will call to the stand Peter Mac Manu, who was the campaign manager for the NPP during the 2020 elections.
The commission will in turn call the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa.
