Election petition: I was misled into signing some collation sheets - Rojo Mettle-Nunoo

Election petition: I was misled into signing some collation sheets - Rojo Mettle-Nunoo

- According to him, when he noticed what happened, he tried drawing the attention of the EC chair

- The chair then instructed them to go have a conference with the petitioner, only to announce the results in their absence

- President Akufo-Addo won the election per the declaration

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Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, one of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) representatives at the Electoral Commission (EC) has finally broken his silence.

Mettle-Nunoo, who is John Mahama’s third witness in the ongoing election petition trial, said he did not willingly sign the regional collation sheet for the Ashanti Region.

Election petition: I was misled into signing some collation sheets - Rojo Mettle-Nunoo
Image credit: Electoral Commission Ghana|Edem Senaya Dest and modified by author
Source: Facebook

According to him, officials of the EC in the strongroom tricked him into signing the sheet.

He said in paragraph 11 of his witness statement to the Supreme Court in support of former president Mahama’s case that he signed the sheet because he thought the party’s agent signed.

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But, that was not the case.

Mettle Nunoo also corroborated claims by the former president’s second witness, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whytte that the EC chair deliberately instructed them to go and have an audience with Mahama to pave the way for the declaration of the results.

“And she did also indicate that the reason she was asking us to do so is for all the stakeholders including the NPP, Peace Council and others to be invited to ensure that we had a credible result before the announcement of the winner is made,” he said.

The lawyer for the Electoral Commission (EC), Justin Amenuvor, accused Kpessa-Whyte of lying when he said Jean Mensa deliberately sent them away from the strong room to declare the presidential results.

But in his response, Kpessa-Whyte rejected Amenuvor’s accusation, informing the Court that he had no reason to lie.

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“My Lords, we were instructed by the first respondent. I have no reason ever to just lie or deceive this honourable Court if that was not the case,” he stated. “As I have indicated our leaving there was not in secret.”

The EC chair has since her December 9 declaration of the presidential results reportedly had multiple threats on her life.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko disclosed this in reaction to a comment by the president and founder of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, on the security beef up around the EC boss.

Cudjoe asked her to resign after the ongoing election petition hearing, explaining that it was unhealthy to be distrusted and be guarded by “loads of soldiers” each time she is going to work.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Mohammed Awal avatar

Mohammed Awal Mohammed Awal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies (Journalism) at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. He has worked in print and online media with Ghanaian-based The Chronicle newspaper, Starr FM and US-based online portable, Face2faceAfrica.com. He also had brief stints with Africafeeds.