Election Petition: ‘You keep repeating the same things’ – Akoto-Ampaw 'tackles' Tsikata in court

Counsel for the Petitioner in the 2020 election petition hearing, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata’s submissions were abruptly distracted by Akufo-Addo’s lawyer, Mr. Akoto Ampaw who rose to comment while he was still speaking.

Prior to the development, Mr. Tsikata engaged in a series of ‘back and forth’ with the Supreme Court judges in his attempt to explain the submissions Mr Asiedu Nketia made in the witness box, suggesting that:

“The Chairperson of 1st Respondent, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, allowed herself to be biased by her prejudice in favor of the 2nd Respondent, who appointed her in August 2018 and with whose wife Mrs Jean Adukwie Mensa has a close familial relationship. Mrs. Mensa was thus, at all material times in the conduct of the her responsibilities, biased by prejudice in favor of the 2nd Respondent and against the Petitioner,”

In a bid to convince the panel, Mr. Tsikata went on and on with his submissions to a point that Mr. Akoto Ampaw who was seemingly bored by his ‘long repeated speech’ stood up and said:

“You have been repeating the same thing for some time now.”

Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata who appeared offended by his colleague’s speech replied by saying: “My lord it is intolerable to throw me off like this. I believe I was in the process of stating my points when I was rudely interrupted.”

In a bid to ease the tension, Mr. Akoto Ampaw was asked to go through the right procedure if he, at any point, intends to object to his opponents’ views.

Afterward, the lawyer for the petitioner was then asked to continue with his submissions.

Meanwhile, Mr. Akoto Ampaw has asked the Supreme Court to delete portions of the witness statement filed for Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress.

According to him, about ten paragraphs in Asiedu Nketia’s statement should be expunged because they are not based on the pleadings of the petitioner, unduly prejudicial and scandalous.