Road to March 4: Mahama, EC, Akufo-Addo court Supreme Court in closing addresses
- Mahama had petitioned the apex court to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential elections
- He said there was no winner in the election
- Thus a rerun must be ordered between him and President Nana Akufo-Addo
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The Supreme Court has set March 4, 2021, as the date to deliver its judgment in the ongoing 2020 election trial.
Ahead of that, the lawyers for the parties in the trial filed their closing address. They are seeking to sway the court to uphold their respective cases.
John Mahama petitioned the apex court, praying it annuls the results declared by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa.
Source: Facebook
President Akufo-Addo defeated Mahama in the elections to secure another four-year term. He had 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.
YEN.com.gh in this article will present you excerpts of the closing arguments by the lawyers of the petitioner and respondents ahead of the March 4 judgment.
Petitioner’s lawyers: According to them, they had proven successfully without equivocation that there was no winner in the 2020 presidential elections.
They contend that the declaration by the chairperson of the EC making President Nana Akufo-Addo the winner of the polls was unconstitutional.
The evidence to prove that the president did not win the election was in the December 9, 2020, declaration by Jean Mensa.
“This does not require figures from petitioner about the results,” excerpts of the closing address sighted by YEN.com.gh stated.
First respondent: In their closing address, the lawyers of the EC argued that the petitioner’s claim that no one had more than 50% of the votes in the 2020 elections was false.
They say that the petitioner’s claim lacked basis and that the court should rule against him.
They further added that the total valid votes cast is calculated based on data and not based solely on the words of the returning officer.
“It is especially so when there had been an admission that the figure announced was an error,” they said.
Second respondent: Lawyers for President Nana Akufo-Addo led by Akoto Ampaw joined those of the EC in arguing that the petitioner was woeful in proving his case.
They say that the mistake committed by Jean Mensa during the December 9 declaration cannot be the petitioner’s prove that the president did not win the election.
“Apart from the fact that this figure is incontrovertible, the petitioner failed and/or refused to provide any contrary evidence that would establish or at least suggest that the valid votes declared for the 12 candidates were erroneous,” they said.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
