Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
A spokesperson for the lawyers of the second respondent, President Akufo-Addo, in the ongoing 2020 Presidential Election Petition has said there is a major difference between the former EC Boss, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, appearing in the witness box in the 2013 petition and what the current petitioner is seeking to bring Mrs. Jean Mensa to do in the instant case.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who is the Minister of Information-designate, said yesterday after the hearing of the case that the basis and approach adopted by the petitioners in each case were different and could not attract the same decisions from the court.
“The brilliance of the then running mate, Alhaji Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, in demonstrating 11,000 pink sheets and the problems with it, compelled Dr. Gyan that if he did not get into the witness box, the job that he had done was going to be set aside,” he said.
He insisted that per the rulings the Supreme Court was not shielding the EC boss from mounting the witness box to testify, contrary to claims by the petitioner, John Mahama’s spokespersons.
“The court has said this over and over again, and we hope our colleague on the other side will pay attention to what the court is saying. The court has said that you cannot compel her to get into the box. She will elect,” he said, adding, “Indeed your own argument earlier was that she had elected to get into the box and the court after listening to the argument said that no election had taken place. So that argument falls flat on its face.”
The NPP MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi asked, “Why do you now come and tell the people of Ghana that the Supreme Court is shielding her and preventing her from getting into the box?
“Because she is a party who you have brought to court and the rules are settled from the beginning that you cannot compel her, whether you come by subpoena or any other instrument, you cannot compel her.”