Election petition: Kpessa-Whyte denies personally speaking to Jean Mensa

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The second witness for the petitioner challenging results of December polls has told the Supreme Court that he did not personally speak to the Electoral Commissioner during the national collation.

Dr Michael Kpessa-Whyte said while working with another colleague, Rojo Mettle-Nunoo at the EC strongroom on December 9, Mrs Jean Mensa instructed them to go and seek a conference with the 2020 National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama.

However, he stated that the returning officer for the presidential election did not speak to him personally.

The NDC representatives at the strongroom have alleged that they were instructed by the EC Chair to go and see Mr Mahama after which she announced the results on their blind side.

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Explaining his case in court, the Public Policy lecturer at the University of Ghana said although they were not in the strongroom to take instructions from the EC Chair, they took the instruction the EC Chair gave them seriously.

He explained that Mrs Mensa told them to go and consult on the specific irregularities they had brought to her attention regarding the results from some regions.

“And she did also indicate that the reason she was asking us to do so is for all the stakeholders including the New Patriotic Party, Peace Council and others to be invited to ensure that we had a credible result before the announcement of the winner is made,” he said.

According to him, the Form 13 they were given did not have any space for them to indicate their disagreement.

The form is used to register regional results obtained by all candidates contesting the presidential election.

One of the justices asked whether that was not a dereliction of duty on their part, but Dr Whyte said they trusted the EC Chair and held what she told them in good faith.