Accra, Feb. 1, GNA – The Supreme Court on Monday played a video, which portrays that Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, a witness for the petitioner had told the whole world through various press conferences that the Petitioner John Dramani Mahama had won the 2020 presidential election.
At the last sitting of the court, Mr. Nketia, who is the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) denied during cross examination that he had through various press conferences declared Mr. Mahama as the winner of Elections 2020.
Mr. Akoto Ampaw, Counsel for the second respondent during cross examination of Mr. Nketia prayed the apex court to allow to be played a video captured on pen drive for the court to listen to what the witness had said.
The Court also played other videos of various press conferences which seek to suggest that Mr. Nketia, Mr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, deputy General Secretary of the NDC and Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, NDC’s Communication officer, had made various pronouncements in respect that Mr. Mahama was the winner the elections.
Soon after the video on Mr. Nketia was played, Mr. Ampaw continued with his cross examination.
Answering questions under cross examination, Mr. Nketia told the Supreme Court that he admits “every word, punctuation and sentence in the various pronouncements made in the video.”
Petitioner’s witness declined to answer questions on any statement made by other persons in the video explaining that the various pronouncements made by other members of the NDC were said before and after the Election 2020.
“The NDC has about 38,000 branches and each branch can choose to organize press conference on their own rights. The General Secretary ought not to be present.
I take responsibility of what happens in the party as a Chief Executive officer of the Party, but when a junior officer say what is contrary, the Chief Executive officer words prevail,” the Witness said.
Mr. Nketia after watching the video in court indicated that he had no restrictions on the people jubilating.
He held that the videos played were made at different times, adding that it was difficult to put together all those videos because some were made before and after Election 2020.
The witness admitted that the NDC had held various demonstrations after the polls saying the demonstration was in protest of killings of people and the fact that nothing had been done about them.
When counsel for the second respondent asked Mr. Nketia who won the 2020 Elections, he said; “We are not interested in flawed elections, we wanted winners of credible elections.”
The General Secretary admitted that when they filed the Election Petition, nothing in the petition indicated that the Petitioner had won the election.
‘’I have never said the petitioner had won election,” he added.
Mr. Nketia was shown various exhibits including EC’s Press Releases, Constituency Summary Sheet, Summary of the Eastern Region and 275 Constituency Summary Sheet released by the EC.
When Mr. Nketia was asked if he had independent evidence supporting their claims that the Petitioner won the elections, he said the party put together results of the Electoral Commission.
Mr. Nketia was again given a calculator to calculate figures issued by the EC.
He admitted that one cannot manifestly use an erroneous figure as basis for calling for a re-run of the election.
Mr. Nketia is one out of two witnesses of the petitioner, Mr. Mahama.
Mr. Mahama had gone to court to challenge the validity of the results declaring Nana Addo Akufo Dankwa as the winner of Election 2020.
He is also accusing the EC of vote padding.
The EC, the second respondent in the matter has denied these allegations.
GNA