'EC Chair should go into witness box and allay all doubts' - Afia Pokuaa

A broadcast journalist with the Despite Media Group, Afia Pokua, has added her voice to the debate as to whether or not the First Respondent, Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson, Mrs. Jean Mensa, should mount the witness box for cross-examination in the ongoing 2020 election petition.

It will be recalled that on Monday, February 8, 2021, lead counsel for the Commission, Justin Amenuvor told the apex court that they no longer intend to present any witness, hence Jean Mensa would not be up for cross-examination. In his submission, Lawyer Amenuvor posited that the EC is satisfied with proceedings so far.

However, lead counsel for the petitioner, Tsatsu Tsikata, swiftly objected to the request presented to the apex court. To Mr Tsikata, the decision is a deliberate one by the EC boss to avoid cross-examination which will expose the incompetence she executed during the December 7 election.

In a Facebook post to give his opinion on the brouhaha, Vim Lady, as she is widely referred to, said, Mrs Mensa should mount the witness box for sake of transparency to allay the doubts in the minds of people.

According to the UTV's Egyaso Gyaso host, doing so will help build trust in the country's electoral process.

"For the sake of TRANSPARENCY and building TRUST in the ELECTORAL PROCESS, I think E.C should go into the box and allay all doubts about this process. My 2ghc opinion though," she wrote.

Meanwhile, after the counsels presented their cases on today [Tuesday], the case has been adjourned to Thursday, February 11, 2021, where the court will clear the air on whether the EC boss would be made to mount the witness box.

So far, three witnesses for the petitioner; Asiedu Nketia, Kpessa Whyte and Rojo Mettle-Nunoo have been cross-examined.