Election petition: Respondents object to 9 paragraphs of Asiedu Nketia’s witness statement

The commencement of the 2020 presidential election petition at the Supreme Court has been characterised by objections as lawyers of the Respondents have raised objections to nine out of the 42-paragraph witness statement of Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

Mr. Nketia, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress has mounted the witness box to testify but portions of his witness statement are being challenged by the Respondents just before he tenders it in evidence.

Lawyer Akoto Ampaw, lead counsel for the 2nd Respondent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo raised objections to paragraphs 6, 7, 21, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33 and 37 of the witness statement.

He said among other things that such paragraphs are scandalous and prejudicial to the matter before the court.

He argued that those paragraphs have not been pleaded to in the petition and prayed the court to strike those paragraphs out before the witness statement is tendered.

Currently, lead counsel for the petitioner Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata is on his feet arguing for the relevance of those paragraphs and their importance before the panel.

The seven-member panel of the Supreme Court chaired by Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah with support from Justice Yaw Appau, Justice Samuel Marful-Sau, Justice Nene Amegartcher, Justice Prof Nii Ashie Kotey, Justice Mariama Owusu and Justice Gertrude Torkornoo are also seeking clarification to be able to rule on the objections being raised.