Election Petition: EC can’t run away from Tsikata’s cross-examination – Marietta Brew
Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, spokesperson for the petitioner in the Election 2020 petition hearing, has said the Electoral Commission cannot evade cross-examination by their lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata at the Supreme Court.
“They are avoiding or running away or avoiding the cross-examination of lawyer Tsikata. Remember that this is an Electoral Commission that has a constitutional duty to the people, they have an obligation to account to us for their stewardship and they say they cannot take the witness stand,” she said.
Appiah-Oppong added: “Well, tomorrow we will see how our Lordships will rule on this. And the issue was raised as to whether this is a human right issue, I don’t know, this is the Electoral Commission chair, a body created by the constitution which has an obligation to respond to our question.”
He further argued that the Electoral Commission cannot hide behind the excuse of human right to avoid cross-examination.
Tomorrow, lawyers on all sides will address the court on whether or not the respondents can be compelled to testify. What we tell our supporters, mustn't be different from what we say under oath.
— Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (@konkrumah) February 8, 2021
“The Electoral Commission cannot hide under the human right to say they will not answer our questions. So I respectfully disagree with her Ladyship when she says it is a human right issue, I disagree with that.”
The spokesperson for the petitioner believes they still have a strong case after the final cross-examination of their final witness Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo.
Click here to watch today’s proceedings
Closure of case
Former President John Dramani Mahama on Monday 8 February 2021 closed his case in the Election 2020 petition hearing after calling three witnesses in support of his petition.
His witnesses were Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Michael Kpessa-Whyte, and Joseph Robert Mettle-Nunoo, his two representatives at the National Collation Centre of the Electoral Commission (EC) during the 7 December election.
