Election petition: We paid our lawyers to do a good job and they delivered - EC
- Former President Mahama rejected the outcome of the 2020 presidential elections
- He said there was no winner in the election
- Mahama petitioned the Supreme Court to cancel the results for a rerun to be ordered between him and Akufo-Addo
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The Electoral Commission (EC) says it is satisfied with the performance of its lawyers during the 2020 presidential election petition hearing.
Source: Facebook
The Justin Amenuvor led team many believed scuttled the petitioner’s case when they moved for the closure of the commission’s case after the cross-examination of Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, the petitioner’s third witness in the trial.
Moving for the closure of the EC’s [First Respondent] case, Amenuvor told the Supreme Court that the petitioner through his counsel did a bad job in proving his case, thus, the decision not to lead any evidence in the case.
“It is the first respondent’s case that we do not wish to lead any further evidence and therefore we are praying that this matter proceeds under Oder 36 Rule 43 and CI 87 rule 3 (e) 5, we hereby and on that basis close our case,” he stated.
This move by Amenuvor sparked several attempts by the petitioner to reopen his case to compel Jean Mensa to testify as an adverse witness.
Former President Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC in the 2020 elections, petitioned the Supreme 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 seven-member panel in the just ended 2020 election petition trial last Thursday said it cannot order a rerun of the 2020 presidential polls.
The panel held that the petitioner in the case failed to adduce “cogent evidence” to back his claims that there was no winner in the December 7, 2020, presidential elections.
Commenting on the petition and the performance of Amenuvor and his team, a Deputy Chairman of the EC, Dr. Bossman Eric Asare, said the commission paid the lawyers very well thus their brilliance during the petition hearing.
“I wouldn’t say we swerved the petitioner because we went to court, and when you go to court, the lawyers will tell you that you use all the strategy at your disposal.
“I think our lawyers did a great job. When you take a lawyer, you have to pay, so we paid him to do a good job for us,” he said told Joy News.
In other news, controversial pastor, Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, says the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) will lose the 2024 elections if the party presents a non-Christian presidential candidate.
In effect, the head pastor of the Glorious Word and Power Ministry believes the NPP will be booted out of the Jubilee House with Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as its flagbearer.
The vice president is the only prominent non-Christian in the elephant fraternity being widely tipped to succeed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the NPP’s presidential candidate in the 2024 elections.
He is seen by many political watchers as the key to breaking the 8-year cycle.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
