You are not a truthful witness – EC lawyer to Mettle-Nunoo
The Supreme Court Justices on Monday were spellbound as they experienced a legal marathon between Counsel for President Akufo-Addo and the petitioner’s third witness Robert Joseph Rojo Mettle-Nunoo.
The seven-member panel were fixated as the duo (Justin Amenuvor and Mettle-Nunoo) went about the day’s work with a hand of aggression.
Counsel for President Akufo-Addo, who is the second respondent in the election petition case accused Mr Mettle-Nunoo of not being truthful with his submission to the court.
Mr Mettle-Nunoo, who was one of the representatives of the petitioner John Dramani Mahama in the strong room of the EC during the December 7 elections, was responding to some anomalies that happened prior to declaring the NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo winner of the polls.
Mr Mettle-Nunoo said he did not sign three of the regional summary results form because there were some specific issues he had observed.
He then went on to list the said regions in contention — Northern, Greater Accra and the Bono East region.
In respect, to the Ashanti Region, he explained that he signed but was misled to sign the regional collation sheet.
The NDC representative explained that he signed the sheet because there was a signature of the agent of Mr. Mahama 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 all, Mr Mettle-Nunoo certified results from 13 other regions, including the Ashanti Region. He said he certified the said forms under specific circumstances.
For the Ahafo, Central and Volta Region, he explained that he signed without access to the summary sheet.
For the case of Western North, Mr Mettle-Nunoo said the issues were with the Sefwi Wiawso constituency.
With North East, Oti, and Bono, he had issues with summation of the results.
But Counsel for President Akufo-Addo, Mr Amenuvor maintained that the witness was not being truthful because it had not officially communicated its reasons for not certifying the said regions in contention.
Mr Amenuvor drew the witness attention to a section on the summary form which required the agents or representatives to spell out the exact issues they had with any constituency — something, the party agents failed to do.
It was the case of Mr Amenuvor that the witness was again not being truthful when he claimed the EC Chairperson had forced them (Mettle-Nunoo and Dr Kpessa-Whyte) to leave the strong room.
To which, Mr Mettle-Nunoo, replied no.
Mr Amenuvor said the EC Chairperson had been very receptive of their complaints and had given the NDC representative the needed attention while waiting at the EC office to report the said anomalies.
“I put it to you that during the collation in the strong room you were offered tea and biscuits,” Mr Amenuvor indicated.
To which Mr Mettle-Nunoo denied as half truth, “Mr Lords, I was offered tea in the strong room, not tea and biscuits,” he said amidst laughter from the court.