The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) General-Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, is expected to take the witness stand at the Supreme Court as it continues John Mahama’s election petition hearing today.
Mr Nketia, who will be testifying on behalf of the 2020 flagbearer of his party, had earlier submitted his witness statement to the apex court.
In his statement, the outspoken politician alleged that the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mrs Jean Mensa was biased in the execution of her role relating to the December 7, election.
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Mr Nketia claims her bias stemmed from her “close familial relationship” with the wife of the second respondent, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
Mr Nketia insists in his testimony that this alleged bias by the EC Chairperson is contrary to Article 296 of the Constitution which requires public officers not to be biased.
He explained that when the EC Chairperson discovered that her December 9 declaration was in error, she should have been fair and set aside the entire declaration and involved political parties in making the corrections instead of issuing statements.
The lack of involvement of the political parties, he states, showed a clear lack of transparency and a quest to cook up figures to achieve a pre-determined outcome that had nothing to do with the actual votes cast in the presidential election.
After dismissing an application for a review on Thursday, January 28, 2021, the Supreme Court said it will be moving to the substantive hearing of the petition filed by Mr Mahama and asked the counsel for the petitioner to make available their witness.
Speaking to the media, one of the spokespersons for Mr Mahama’s legal team, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, said out of the two witnesses that have been filed on behalf of the petitioner, Mr Nketia is likely to mount the witness box today, Friday, January 29, 2021.
Meanwhile, the second witness, Michael Kpessa Whyte, who was one of Mr Mahama’s representatives in the EC’s national collation centre (strong room) may also be asked to mount the box today if the court desires.