Judicial Officer to be stationed as Rojo Mettle-Nunoo testifies via zoom today
Plans are underway to ensure a judicial officer is present as the third witness for the petitioner testifies in the ongoing case.
It has become necessary for a judicial officer to be present as Robert Joseph Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, a witness for the petitioner, gives his statement to allow for transparency and a fair hearing.
This is because the third witness for the NDC Flagbearer John Dramani Mahama cannot be in court at the hearing today (Friday, February 5) due to a health constraint.
Mr Mettle-Nunoo, who was one of Mr Mahama’s representatives during the December 7 elections at the Electoral Commission (EC) National Collation Centre will give his statement in-camera — using a video link.
This is the first time a witness will be testifying using a video link at the Supreme Court.
Akoto Ampaw, the counsel for the second respondent (Nana Akufo-Addo), had raised some concerns about the third witness giving his statement in-camera.
Mr Ampaw requested that a judicial officer be present at the location where Mettle-Nunoo will be testifying.
He feared the witness might be coached or assisted during the cross-examination if there is no officer of the court present.
Before Friday’s hearing, the third witness said in his witness statement that EC officials misled him to sign the regional collation sheet for the Ashanti Region.
The NDC representative explained that he signed the sheet because there was a signature of Mr Mahama’s agent on it.
Mr Mettle-Nunoo said he later realised that the sheet presented to him to sign was inconsistent with a tally of polling station results in the Ashanti Region.
In his statement, Mr Mettle-Nunoo also noted other concerns with the Eastern, Northern and Greater Accra Region collation sheets.
“It is my express understanding that the entire election processes require very importantly a transparent assembling and collation of results so that no single vote of those who cast valid votes is left out of account and not one invalid vote is included in the votes taken into account.
“It is also my understanding that nothing other than votes cast validly at one of the accredited 38,622 polling stations should be factored into the collation of the 275 constituency collation centres through to the 16 regional centres and on to the strong room. At each stage, evident corrections could be made in accordance with due process. I informed the EC Chair, and she told me she would look into it,” the statement said.
But the solution to these concerns was not to be as the EC Chair made a quick turn to declare the results in favour of the NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.
All these concerns, which was not addressed, he said undermined the polls’ credibility and cast grave doubts on the integrity of those assigned responsibilities for a free, fair and transparent election.
It will be recalled that the second witness for the petitioner, Dr Michael Kpessa-Whyte had mentioned that the EC Chairperson deceived them into leaving the strong room on December 9, last year.
In Mr Mettle-Nunoo’s witness statement, he corroborates the claim by Dr Kpessa-Whyte.
“She said very directly that we should go and speak with the petitioner,” he stated.
Mr Mettle-Nunoo is the third witness for the petitioner John Dramani Mahama in the ongoing 2020 election petition.
His statement comes after the NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia and Dr Michael Kpessa-Whyte had testified. The apex court has since discharged the two party faithfuls.