You are not permitted to run irrelevant commentary – Akufo-Addo’s lawyer to Mettle-Nunoo

Counsel for President Akufo-Addo in the ongoing election petition has advised the third witness for the petitioner to exercise some level of restrain in his utterances. 

The third witness, Robert Joseph Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, who was one of the representatives for the petitioner John Mahama in the EC strong room, was being cross examined by the respondents lawyer.

Counsel for President Akufo-Addo, Akoto Ampaw, who appeared to have taken a cue from the hostility between counsel for the first respondent (Justin Amenuvor) and Rojo Mettle-Nunoo gave the witness a word of caution even before he begun his examination of the witness.

“You are not permitted to run irrelevant commentaries, you need to listen and answer the question. You cannot be setting your own questions here,” Mr Ampaw advised.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo, was giving his account of what had transpired on December 7, 2020.

In his testimony to the court, he 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 there were issues with the Sefwi Wiawso constituency results.

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 he 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 NDC agents or representatives to spell out the exact issues they had with any constituency — something, the 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 representatives the needed attention when it made the report.

“I put it to you that during the collation in the strong room you were offered tea and biscuits,” Mr Amenuvor said.

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.