Election Petition: 'We were looking to reconcile the figures with EC' - Asiedu Nketia

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, a witness in the 2020 Presidential Election Petition on Monday said the National Democratic Party (NDC) was looking for a meeting with the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission to reconcile the figures in the 2020 results.

Mr Nketiah was responding to a question by Justice Yaw Apau, a member of the Seven-member Panel on what were the total valid votes cast in the Presidential Elections on December 7, 2020, was based on his independent calculations.

This question came up after Mr Akoto Ampaw, the Lead Counsel for the Second Respondent (President Nana Akufo-Add) ended his cross-examination of the witness, who is the General-Secretary of the National Democratic Congress.

Justice Apau said when the witness commenced evidence, he told the court that the party had representatives all over the country at the collation Centers of the 275 constituencies and they were to collate the figures, so his question was what figures did they get but the witness said he had not brought that to court.

He also asked the witness that from their own calculations, how much valid votes were cast in favour of the Petitioner to his knowledge and the witness said “My Lord, once we discover these discrepancies it is difficult to even put them together.”

“My Lord l do not know,” the witness said.

Justice Apau again wanted to know which figures from the NDC’s own calculations did the Second Respondent get as the total valid votes cast in his favour, and also there, Mr Nketia said he does not have those figures in court currently.

Mr Ampaw lead counsel for the second Respondent, had earlier asked the witness that from his exhibit B, the Petitioner obtained 6, 213, 482 not so and the witness agreed.

Counsel stated that if the whole valid votes cast in the Techiman South was added to the Petitioners valid votes cast and percentage struck, it would be 47.367 per cent for the Petitioner, and the witness agreed saying the problem was the changing figures.

The Supreme Court on Monday played a video, which portrays Mr. Nketia telling the whole world through various press conferences that the Petitioner had won the 2020 presidential election.

Mr. Nketia at the last adjourned date denied during cross-examination that he had through various press conferences declared Mr. Mahama as the winner of the 2020 Elections.

Mr. Ampaw, during the cross-examination, prayed the Apex Court to be allowed to play a video captured on a pen drive for the court to listen to what the witness had said.

The Court was also implored to play 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 the respect that Mr. Mahama was the winner of the elections.

Soon after the video was played, Mr. Ampaw continued with his cross-examination of the witness.

Former President, John Mahama has filed a petition at the Supreme Court seeking an annulment of the Presidential election results and a re-run of the election between him and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is the second respondent in the petition.

The Petition is also seeking a mandatory injunction directing the 1st Respondent, the Electoral Commission to proceed to conduct a second election between the petitioner and the 2nd respondent as the candidates, as required under Articles 63 (4) and (5) of the 1992 constitutions.