Election petition: Mahama’s lawyers file closing arguments

Lawyers for the 2020 NDC Presidential Candidate John Dramani Mahama have filed their closing address in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders as the 2020 election petition draws to a close. 

According to Mr Mahama’s lawyers, they believe that have proven that say they no candidate obtained more than 50% of the votes cast in the 2020 presidential elections.

They are praying the Supreme Court that on 4 March when it delivers its judgment, to direct the Electoral Commission to organise a run-off between President Akufo-Addo and John Mahama.

 

Meanwhile, lawyers for Mr Akufo-Addo are convinced that the President garnered 51.2% of valid votes cast in the 2020 polls and is the legally elected president of the country.

Spokesperson for the President’s legal team who is also the Information Minister-Designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told the opposing side that contrary to their assertions that neither their client nor President Nana Akufo-Addo got the required votes to secure victory in the 7 December 2020 presidential polls, the National Democratic Congress’ own General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, arrived at 51.2 per cent for the second respondent and 47 per cent for his own presidential candidate during his testimony for the petitioner before the Supreme Court.

In a post-trial address to the media on Monday, 22 February 2021 Mr Nkrumah said: “Ghanaians have followed the journey that has gone on so far in the court where the petitioner was being looked to adduce evidence”.

“I heard our colleagues [NDC legal team] saying that the mathematics is clear, but you have been here covering for all the days that we have been here and I’m not sure that to you, you saw mathematics that yielded results other than 47 per cent for the petitioner, Mr John Dramani Mahama and 51.2 per cent for the second respondent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“That was the mathematics that you saw Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia arrive at.

“That was the arithmetic that he arrived at”, the Ofoase Ayirebi MP stressed, noting: “The answer that he arrived at when he made the various computations”.

“You are hearing them telling you that the mathematics is clear, nobody crossed the 49-per cent [mark] but in the walls of the Supreme Court, before the Justices, I’m not sure you have seen them prove that”, he added.