General News of Tuesday, 19 January 2021

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Election Petition: Supreme Court dismisses Mahama’s motion for EC Chair to admit errors

Former President John Dramani Mahama play videoFormer President John Dramani Mahama

The Supreme Court has ‘thrown out’ a motion filed by the lawyers of John Dramani Mahama in the election petition case seeking to require the Electoral Commissioner to admit that she made errors during her declaration of election results.

NDC Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama on January 18, 2021, filed a motion at the Supreme Court asking Mrs. Jean Mensa to acknowledge that she made errors during her declaration of the 2020 election results.

Among other things, Mr Mahama is seeking that the EC Chairperson admits in a live television broadcast that the figures and percentages announced during the declaration if collated will come to 100.3% instead of 100%.

But on the first day of the election petition hearing, the Supreme court has described as irrelevant Mahama’s request.

The apex court after identifying that the interrogatories were irrelevant to the case, unanimously dismissed the NDC Flagbearer’s application.

This was after both lawyers for the Electoral Commission and President Nana Akufo-Addo opposed the application.

The lawyers added that John Mahama and his legal team are trying to resort to dubious means of seeking further information from the EC that were not captured in their petition.

On his part, the leader of the legal team representing President Nana Akufo-Addo, Mr. Akoto Ampaw described the application as a “fish expedition”.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of the case to Wednesday, January 20 at 9 am.