Supreme Court dismisses Mahama’s application for interrogatories
- The Supreme Court has thrown out John Mahama’s application for interrogatories
- According to the apex court, the hearing of the petition is time-bound, hence, no room for interrogatories
- Mahama filed a petition before the court to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential race
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The Supreme Court has dismissed John Mahama’s application seeking to have the Electoral Commission (EC) answer some questions regarding its handling of the 2020 general election.
The seven-member Supreme Court panel refused the former president’s application during a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
In its ruling, the court held that the petition hearing is time-bound to grant him the application for interrogatories.
Frank Davies, a legal representative of the second respondent (President Akufo-Addo) said the ground rules of the petitioner (Mahama) along with interrogatories presented have been thrown out by a unanimous decision.
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CI 99 introduces strict timelines for the management and hearing of presidential elections disputes, which gives the court 42 days to determine the case from the day it is filed.
John Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC in the election on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, filed a petition before the Supreme Court to challenge the outcome of the presidential race.
According to the former president, the election was rigged in favour of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Akufo-Addo defeated Mahama in the election to secure another four-year term; collecting 51.302% of the votes cast against the latter’s 47.359%.
The votes difference between the two candidates stood at 517, 231, representing a four percentage point, one of the highest since 1996.
Mahama wants a rerun of the election between him and Akufo-Addo, stating that there was no winner contrary to the outcome declared by the Electoral Commission.
President Akufo-Addo rejected Mahama’s assertion that the presidential race should have gone to a runoff.
Speaking to the leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Thursday, January 14, 2021, he maintained that the party won the race hands down.
Over 13 million Ghanaians voted in the Monday, December 7, 2020, election that saw him secure a second mandate.
In his views, the petition challenging his victory was nothing but “noise”.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
