By Nana Akua Tweneboah-Koduah

It was the much anticipated match that never was. The NPP supporters and their numerous lawyers who troop to court daily to lend support to their tethering on-going Supreme Court petition have been bragging for days that Mr Philip Addison, their lead counsel was going to maul Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia under cross-examination.

Therefore, when Mr Nketia also known as General Mosquito ended his evidence, Mr Philip Addison did not waste time in jumping up with one question to scare the “General” just before the court went on lunch recess. Mr Addison’s intention was to draw the first blood and scare the hell out of General Mosquito.

Therefore, immediately the court returned from recess, Philip Addison showed that he wanted to put General Mosquito on the defence, by twisting questions and reframing them just to confuse General Mosquito to either lie under oath or confirm the allegations by the NPP. Yet, it is this same Addison who complained bitterly to the justices that Mr Tsatsu Tsikata was twisting questions to confuse Dr Bawumia.

But General Mosquito, who held his own against Addison, portrayed his in-dept knowledge about the electoral laws and how elections are conducted in the country. His general overview of the conduct of elections in the country to the court was very impressive.

Listening to General Mosquito, one cannot help but conclude that he is a far more credible witness than Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, the NPP star witness who is famously known for providing evasive answers to questions posed to him throughout his lengthy cross-examination by Mr Tsikata.

The NDC General Secretary who was made to answer questions bothering on ballot boxes, stamps, pink sheets, signatures, counting of votes at the polling stations and collation centres, protest lodging and serial numbers did not sweat to give answers to any of these areas.

General Mosquito’s lawyers therefore had a field day by listening to him. Except on one occasion that they raised an objection to a question posed, his lawyers just sat in court doing practically nothing. If you are a lawyer and you have a credible witness, your task in court becomes less cumbersome.

Mr Philip Addison who came fighting to put the fear of God in General Mosquito ended up being schooled again. Even Gloria Akuffo, who was captured on camera looking very happy when he saw General Mosquito struggling to give an answer to what he knows about over voting, later looked tensed when Mosquito glided through the questions posed by Addison with ease.

This was not another good day for the petitioners who have looked at the first day of their cross-examination to nail the NDC with their so-called allegations but ended the day with yet another gaping hole in their case.

If the NPP was looking for a home run by running over General Mosquito, I must say that they did not succeed as he showed the steel with which he is made or his courage under fire. Indeed the NPP have a tall order as they will have to dive deep into their archives to resuscitate their case.

nakuakoduah@yahoo.com