Former President John Dramani Mahama says he disagrees with the Supreme Court ruling that dismissed his 2020 election petition for lacking merit.
According to him, as much as he is aware that he is bound by the Court’s verdict, he thinks there is a stab in the processes of transparency.
“No one who followed the proceedings of the Supreme Court will be surprised by the judgment pronounced a few hours ago. Much as I am aware that we are legally bound by the decision of the highest court of the land, the Supreme court of Ghana, I disagree with the process of the trial and ruling of the court,” he said.
Mr. Mahama also added that the inability of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, to testify, is a dangerous precedent that will give other state officials same power to decline accountability.
“I believe that law should not be an instrument for partisan purposes. I also believe that the rule of law should mean that one rule for all… Ghanaian will also remember and this will go into history, this 2021 election petition for that profound moment when the chairperson of the EC opted to evade public scrutiny…Everything was done in this trial to prevent the Commission from accounting to people in whose name they hold office,” he added.
John Dramani Mahama contested the 2020 presidential election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He later took the Electoral Commission to court, challenging the validity of the Commission’s December 9, 2020 declaration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as winner of the polls.
But on Thursday, March 4, 2021, Chief Justice, Anin-Yeboah established that the case before the Supreme Court had no merit, adding that witnesses of the petitioner, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo and Dr Michael Kpessa-Whyte are to blame for neglecting their duties in the EC’s strong room if they said are true.
“The petitioner has not produced any evidence to rebut the presumptions created by the publication of CI 135. We are therefore no reason to order a rerun. We accordingly dismiss the petition,” the Chief Justice said in the judgment.
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Story by: Christian Yalley | universnewsroom.com