Top politicians from both the NPP and the NDC yesterday thronged the Supreme Court in Accra where the 2020 Presidential Election Petition was filed by the NDC Candidate, former President John Mahama, following the December 7, 2020 General Election.
The court affirmed the Election of President Akufo-Addo by unanimously dismissing the challenge mounted by Mr. Mahama after the declaration of the returning officer and Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, that President Akufo-Addo was validly elected on December 9, 2020.
The seven-member panel of the court used more than two hours to deliver its judgment which was read by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah yesterday.
Ahead of the judgment, the petitioner, Mr. Mahama, and his running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang and NDC leaders like Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Johnson Asiedu Nketia among others were in the courtroom.
Also present were NPP gurus like Freddy W. Blay, Peter Mac Manu, John Boadu, Sammi Awuku, Henry Nana Boakyea and Kate Gyamfua.
The judges took their time to explain every issue set out for determination, compared to the under 10 minutes judgment witnessed in 2013 which said Mahama was validly elected after the 2012 election, following a challenge by then NPP Candidate President Akufo-Addo, his running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and NPP Chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey.
The 2013 case travelled for eight months and was handled by nine judges led by Justice William Atuguba but ended up using less than 10 minutes to deliver its judgment which was 5:4 in favour of Mr. Mahama.
The judges then asked the parties to go for their respective “detailed reasons” from the registry of the court.
Even during that close 5:4 verdict, the judges mistakenly mixed up the numbers live on television until it was corrected when their attention were drawn to it after the proceedings.
However, in the 2021 decision which travelled only 57 days, the decision was unanimous (7:0) and it was that President Akufo-Addo was validly elected.
The petitioners in the 2013 case elected Dr. Bawumia to testify on their behalves but in the instant 2021 case, the petitioner, Mr. Mahama, refused to testify and rather brought three witnesses namely NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte and Rojo Mettle-Nunoo as his witnesses.
The court in their judgment described the evidence of Dr. Kpessa-Whyte and Mr. Mettle-Nunoo as “fanciful.”
The court had said, “Out of the three witnesses (the petitioner called), the one whose testimony appeared to have relevance to the issue at stake was Mr. Nketia (PW1). He was in fact the star witness of the petitioner. His testimony vividly explained the reason the petitioner was in court,” adding, “As for the other two witnesses, that is, (PW2 and PW3), Dr. Kpessa-Whyte and Mr. Mettle-Nunoo, the little said about their testimony related to the issue at stake, the better.”
The court also said “the law does not aid the indolent.”