Mahama dragging us to court over innocuous error unfortunate - EC lawyers
- Former President Mahama rejected the outcome of the 2020 presidential elections
- He said there was no winner in the election
- He petitioned the Supreme Court to cancel the results for a rerun to be ordered between him and Akufo-Addo
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Lawyers for the Electoral Commission (EC), the first respondent, in the ongoing election petition trial, said John Dramani Mahama’s decision to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential over “an innocuous” error was unfortunate.
“It is unfortunate that an innocuous error made by the Chairperson of the 1st Respondent in the Declaration of the Results on 9th December 2020 which had no bearing on the outcome of the election results has triggered this Petition,” they said in their closing address sighted by YEN.com.gh.
They, therefore, pray the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition, arguing that the former president led no evidence whatsoever to challenge the election results and for that matter the declaration made by the chairperson of the EC.
Former President Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC in the 2020 elections petitioned the apex court, praying it annuls the results declared by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa.
President Nana Akufo-Addo defeated him 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.
The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on the petition on March 4, 2021.
In a separate development, John Peter Amewu also unconditionally apologised for threatening to kill NDC Members of Parliament during the chaotic parliamentary election for the Speaker of Parliament.
The Hohoe MP who contested on the ticket of the governing NPP in the Volta Region in a rage of anger threatened to kill the MPs.
They were hooting at him as he approached their side of the aisle as Parliament turned chaotic.
“Tell them to come and demonstrate in Hohoe, they cannot dare, I will kill all of you,” the Minister-designate for Railway Development said.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, the former Energy Minister retracted his threats.
He said the hostile way he was welcomed pushed him to the urge after winning a difficult seat.
“That actually was, of course jokingly, a trigger,” he stated.
Amewu withdrew “those words unconditionally,” and described himself as “a peaceful man.”
“The use of the words came out as an overreaction which is my negative aspect,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, the former MP for Hohoe, Professor Margaret Kweku, beseeched the Ho High Court to annul the results of the 2020 parliamentary election in the constituency.
Amewu won the seat for the governing NPP by collecting 26,952 votes.
Kweku, who was the parliamentary candidate for the NDC in the election, was joined by four others in asking the Ho High Court to set aside the election results for a fresh one to be conducted.
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Source: YEN.com.gh