No evidence to warrant rerun, dismiss petition – EC urges court

Counsel for the first respondent (Electoral Commission) in the ongoing election petition said the petitioner has failed to provide any evidence to warrant the continuous attention from the Supreme Court.

According to the lead counsel Justin Amenuvor, the petition by the NDC Flagbearer John Dramani Mahama that sought to challenge the election results is totally misconceived and should be dismissed out rightly.

This was contained in the closing address filed by lawyers for the commission in compliance with the court’s directive.

The commission also said it was more disappointed that the witnesses who were brought to court to project the said ills committed by the EC Chairperson also failed to do so.

“The evidence by the three witnesses for the petitioner did not advance the case. They mentioned that the only semblance of irregularity with the votes relates to Exhibit F attached to the witness statement of the NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

“But he still failed to produce any contrasting figures of his own to contradict the numbers as mentioned by the first respondent Chairperson,” the statement read.

Looking back now, the commission said the petition looked more like an action to challenge the innocuous mistake made in the declaration of the EC Chairperson rather than the validity of the second respondent.

The issue of vote padding, the commission said is a serious electoral fraud and therefore take strong exception to the allegation.

“The petitioner, however, has not been able to provide any particulars of such fraud as alleged in his pleading. My Lords, the learning is that any allegation of fraud must be specifically particularized in the pleading and this has been absent,” they added.

The second respondent Nana Akufo-Addo has urged the seven-member panel to dismiss Mahama’s frivilous petition.

The petitioner John Mahama, on the other hand believes the court should rule in his favour since the EC boss Jean Mensa has refused to testify.

The apex court is set to make a determination of the matter on March 4, 2021.