It's a joke – Edudzi Tamakloe replies Oppong Nkrumah's statement on subpoenaing John Mahama

Edudzi Tamakloe, a member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress has described as a ‘joke’, a stance by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah that the counsels for Nana Akufo-Addo will be compelled to subpoena the petitioner, John Dramani Mahama if he does same to Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, who is the first respondent in the 2020 election petition.

Oppong Nkrumah who was addressing the media after the Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, February 11, 2021, said lawyers for Nana Akufo-Addo have discussed the possibility of asking the court to drag John Mahama to the witness box.

“Depending on what the court decides to do, our senior lawyers will take their next line of action. Indeed, I’ve heard conversations that if they elect to subpoena the EC Chair, maybe, we should also elect to subpoena the petitioner to be brought into the box. I don’t know if they will agree to it at the end of the day, but it is part of the various conversations.

“If it becomes necessary, we’ll be happy to mount the box. I keep telling you that Chairman Mac Manu comes here every day prepared. If they [petitioners] cross a threshold, and we have to testify, we’ll do that.”

Speaking in an Okay FM interview, Edudzi Tamakloe said the position by Oppong Nkrumah is untenable.

According to him, the second respondents as at the court's last sitting had closed his case and indicated no willingness to open same.

He, however, expressed that John Mahama will jump at any chance to be cross-examined.

He noted that Mahama is not scared of debates and will welcome an opportunity to prove the claims he is making against the Electoral Commission.

“I have heard a joke that the people say if we subpoena Jean Mensa, they will also subpoena John Mahama. It is definitely a view expressed by someone who doesn’t go to court. If you are a serious practitioner of the law, you’ll realize that it’s not even tenable.

“It’s not the case that they have opened the case and want someone to come and testify as an adverse witness. In this case, they have not filed any witness. I will be very glad if that happens because John Mahama does not run away from debates,” he said.