#SONA2021: ‘It’s good John Mahama chose legal path over violence’ – Akufo-Addo

January 5, 2021

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has complimented former President John Dramani Mahama for filing a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the outcome of the December 7, 2020, general elections.

Delivering the final State of the Nation Address of his first term of office in Parliament today, January 5, 2021, the President was impressed that the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) presidential candidate resorted to the court in addressing his grievances instead of violence.

“I recognize my main opponent in the election has gone to the Supreme Court to seek their intervention over his concerns on the outcome of the polls. It is good for the nation that in the end, he chose the legal path instead of the pockets of violence that attended the immediate aftermath of the elections,” the President said.

President Akufo-Addo won the election with 51.3 percent of the votes while Mr. Mahama followed with 47.7 percent of the valid votes cast.

However, the NDC refused to accept the results attributing its decision to alleged malfeasance in the polls.

Mr. Mahama’s grievances hinge on the conduct of the polls in the Techiman South constituency.

The EC declared the winner of the presidential election when the Techiman South constituency results were pending.

But Mr. Mahama in his petition argued 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, and will yield 46.768 percent.

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 has also asked the Supreme Court to compel the Electoral Commission to conduct a second election with just him and the incumbent as candidates.