Johnson Asiedu Nketia
Lawyers for the Electoral Commission and President Nana Akufo-Addo have urged the Supreme Court to strike out portions of Johnson Asiedu Nketia’s witness statement.
The lawyers argue that the allegations contained in some parts of the witness statement did not form part of the case former President John Dramani Mahama pleaded in his election petition before the court.
Akoto Ampaw, lead counsel for Nana Akufo-Addo argues that the statements are prejudicial to the trial and extremely scandalous.
He wants the court to strike out allegations that Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the EC declared Nana Akufo-Addo the winner of the 2020 Presidential election because he appointed her in 2018.
The lawyer also wants the court to strike out the allegation that Mrs. Mensa declared the results in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo because she has familial relationship with the President’s wife.
Again, the lawyer wants the court to strike out evidence that is attacking C.I. 127 which introduced regional collation centres for the 2020 election.
It is the argument of the lawyer that those did not form part of Mr. Mahama’s pleadings as he did not in anywhere in his case challenge the collation of results.
The paragraphs they wanted to be struck out are 6, 7, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, 33 and 37.
Tsatsu Tsikata, lead counsel for Mr. Mahama in his response noted that the petition made allegations of bias and unfairness on the part of the EC and it is those matters that have been addressed in the witness statement.
He said the EC in its response to the petition and witness statement addressed the very issues in the witness statement hence the respondents cannot be raising objections to them.