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The Campaign manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has indicted the Electoral Commission (EC) for crediting ex-President John Dramani Mahama with votes he doesn’t deserve.
This and others, Peter Mac Manu insisted, would be made available to the Supreme Court, when the Election Petition hearing starts, to decide on.
This is the first time the NPP is revealing it also had issues with the work of the EC in the 2020 elections, just like the NDC which has described the EC boss as very “incompetent”.
The ex-NPP National Chairman was speaking to Emefa Apawu on Top Story on Joy FM in response to the petition filed by the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC), today Wednesday, December 30, 2020 to challenge results of the December 7 elections declared in favour of the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo by the EC led by Jean Adukwei Mensa.
He announced that, the NPP has put up a team of 10 to 12 lawyers led by Frank Davies, board chairman of the Driver and Vehicle License Authority (DVLA) are studying the petition filed and will meet ex-President John Mahama in court, insisting they also have issue with the votes credited Mr Mahama.
He insisted that the NPP is on solid ground and not scared at all by the petition, adding his party has facts, figures and the law on its side to ensure that Ghana’s Judiciary, which he said has been praised by the international community, as the best in West Africa, does the right thing.
Asked whether, the swearing-in ceremony will come on, Mr Mac Manu, insisted nothing was going to stop the event.
Peter Mac Manu was in the National Collation Centre of the EC and never expressed any negative comment about the work of the EC until today.
The petition was filed on behalf of ex-President Mahama by his lawyers; Tony Lithur of Lithur Brew and Company law firm.
Mr Mahama, is asking the Supreme Court to compel the EC to conduct a second election with him and the incumbent, Nana Akufo-Addo, as candidates.
He also wants an order of injunction restraining President Akufo-Addo from holding himself out as President-elect.
Mr Mahama, contends that the results declared by the EC in favour of President Akufo-Addo of the NPP were “made arbitrarily, capriciously, and with bias.”
The former president, also feels “that the said declaration was made without regard to due process of law.”
The EC declared the winner of the presidential election when the Techiman South Constituency results were pending.
But the presidential candidate of the NDC, argues that if all the votes of Techiman South Constituency were added to his votes, President Akufo-Addo’s votes would remain at 6,730,413, now yielding 49.625 percent of the votes, while his would increase to 6,342,907, now yielding 46.768 percent.
“Therefore, Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa’s claim in the purported declaration on 9th December 2020 that adding all the 128,018 votes in the Techiman South Constituency to the votes standing to the name of Petitioner, would not change the results, was clearly wrong,” Mr Mahama said.
The petition was filed today, Wednesday, December 30, 2020, by Mr Mahama’s lawyers, following the party’s audit of the 2020 Presidential results “and extensive consultations with the National Executive Committee and Council of Elders of the party.”
In a statement, the NDC said the petition details “serious violations of the 1992 Constitution by the Electoral Commission and its Chairperson and Returning Officer for the Presidential Election, Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa in the conduct of their constitutional and legal responsibilities.”
The petition seeks among others, a declaration from the Supreme Court to the effect that, “the purported declaration of the results of the 2020 Presidential Election on the 9th day of December 2020 is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”
Mr Mahama’s reliefs include (a) “A declaration that Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7`. December 2020 was in breach of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution in the declaration she made on 9th December 2020 in respect of the Presidential Election that was held on 7th December 1020;
Mr. Mahama’s reliefs include (a) “A declaration that Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7`. December 2020 was in breach of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution in the declaration she made on 9th December 2020 in respect of the Presidential Election that was held on 7th December 1020;
(b) A declaration that, based on the data contained in the declaration made by Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7th December 2020, no candidate satisfied the requirement of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution to be declared President-elect.
(c) A declaration that the purported declaration made on 9th December 2020 of the results of the Presidential Election by Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of Respondent and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7″ December 2020 is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever;
(d) An order annulling the Declaration of President-Elect Instrument, 2020 (C.1. 130) dated 9th December 2020, issued under the hand of Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of the [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held 7′ December 2020 and gazetted on 10th December 2020;
(e) An order of injunction restraining [President Akufo-Addo] from holding himself out as President-elect;
(f) An order of mandatory injunction directing the [EC] to proceed to conduct a second election with Petitioner and [Nana Akufo-Addo] as the candidates as required under Articles 63(4) and (5) of the 1992 Constitution.
