Spokesperson for the 2nd Respondent in the ongoing election petition has stated that Akufo-Addo's legal counsel will equally haul the Petitioner, John Dramani Mahama into the witness box if his legal team subpoenas the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah hinted that the option to subpoena Mr Mahama has been adopted as part of their strategy should the court grant the petitioner leave to serve the EC boss a subpoena to appear before the apex court to testify.
“Depending on what the court decides to do, our senior lawyers will take their next line of action. Indeed, I’ve heard conversations that if they elect to subpoena the EC Chair, maybe, we should also elect to subpoena the petitioner to be brought into the box”.
This disclosure comes on the back of the lead counsel's decision to formally subpoena Jean Mensa in order to cross-examine her after the Supreme Court ruled that the respondents and their witnesses cannot be compelled by the Court to testify.
Tsatsu Tsikata argued that by the constitutional duty imposed on the Electoral Commissioner as a public servant, she is required to render an account to Ghanaians as to how she executed her constitutional duty of declaring who duly won the 2020 presidential election.
The Information Minister-designate commenting on Tsikata's argument, insisted that the court is not the venue for such accountability.
“If you want accountability, let’s all go to Parliament whether it’s Public Accounts Committee or a Parliamentary enquiry or something, but when you come and you apply to the court under some specific rules, you don’t fail to meet that standard and then resort to that general argument.
“The court has said something about it and I think we need to take note of it. It says that the fact that she holds a constitutional office and that there’s a constitutional responsibility involved does not mean that a different set of rules must be made up,” he noted.
He further stated that Akufo-Addo's witness, Mac Manu is at the ready to mount the witness box should the need arise.
“If it becomes necessary, we’ll be happy to mount the box. I keep telling you that Chairman Mac Manu comes here every day prepared. If they (petitioners) cross a threshold, and we have to testify, we’ll do that”.
Meanwhile the apex court has ordered the respondents to file their addresses for the closure of their case by February 17.
It also adjourned the hearing of the petition to February, 18 2021.
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