Tsatsu Tsikata meets his Nemesis in Dr Bawumia

8th May 2013

The much hyped Law Professor and lawyer, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, of supposedly flamboyant speeches and quoting prowess has unfortunately met his nemesis in the person of Dr Mahammudu Bawumia.

As Goliath, the Philistine giant, suffered at the hands of David, the relatively tiny opponent, so is Tsatsu Tsikata bleeding at the hands of Dr Bawumia. Having theatrically gone in circles, dancing in the boxing ring, huffing and puffing all this while in vain at attempts to throw a killer blow at Dr Bawumia, Tsatsu now trips and falls on own sword, lying face up on the carpet.

All the effusions and dramatizations in court by Tsatsu Tsikata amount simply to "much ado about nothing", I shall keep on saying. My fellow grey-haired septuagenarian has not been able to live up to the high expectations of his clients, that is, NDC, hence, ending up establishing, confirming and asserting albeit unknowingly, that indeed, there were electoral irregularities even in the NPP strongholds, e.g. Kumasi Asokwa.

The game is now becoming more interesting. However, Tsatsu having taken many days, wasting the court's precious time, dwelling on unnecessarily questioning on "pink sheet this pink sheet that" has finally realised how he has all along been throwing blows in the air that fail to hit the target.

It is good news anyway that he is now getting serious, somehow acknowledging the fact that there were electoral irregularities. This is the crux of the petition filed by Nana Akufo Addo, Dr Mahammudu Bawumia and Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey.

In passing, excuse me to take a swipe at Ghana Supreme Court. I do not care how the judges will feel if they did not care in the first place about how the laxness of some of their actions would culminate. If they had obliged or insisted on the Electoral Commission providing copies of all the 26,002+ pink sheets to the petitioners or better still, as suggested by my White legal brains, placing them with the Supreme Court, there would not be this drama as we are witnessing in court today.

The Counsels for the Respondents have failed to provide, and insist on refusing the Petitioners copies of the areas they find faults with, in the assertions by the petitioners. They are keeping them to their chest, bringing them out one by one in what may be spring surprise evidences on the petitioners. Each time such a document is produced, Dr Bawumia expertly shoots it down from the witness box with precision, thereby adding to the frustrations by Tsatsu Tsikata, alias Mr Quote Quote.

If the judges had been farsighted and obliged the respondents, especially the Electoral Commission, to do as suggested and published in my article on Ghanaweb under Feature Article of Sunday, 27 January 2013, titled, "Supreme Court to determine.....", they would have foreseen and thereby nipped in the bud the on-going Tsatsu's dramas.

I also understand Tsatsu lectured most of the lawyers from the various divides, petitioners and respondents, and the Supreme Court judges sitting on the case when they were undergraduates at Legon University. They have therefore by the demands of the Ghanaian culture of always respecting your elder no matter how irresponsible he becomes or his actions are, allowed Tsatsu that lopsided urge to behave in court as he does. If it is true as alleged, the Court must please be aware that many people are watching the court sittings from all over the world. They had better ensure the proceedings are conducted in the most professional manner without allowing familiarity to creep in to mar the entire process to put them in disrepute. Tsatsu seems to be capitalising on his knowledge of them as once his students to allow “Familiarity breeds contempt” to creep in. This is where the judges must be very mindful else; they fall for the bait laid to prove their biases and unprofessionalism.

When is the court going to draw a curtain on Tsatsu's cross-examinations of Dr Bawumia? Will they allow it to go on until Thy Kingdom come? Asking the same question in twists and turns and receiving the same response each time is getting boring, I must confess. This goes to tell Tsatsu has bitten more than he can chew. That mystery cloak he has been wearing making him an idol to many an NDC faithful, earning him the nickname Tsatsu Quote Quote has been torn apart by Dr Bawumia - "The Little Giant"

May I today suggest to the Supreme Court judges to abide by the very principles that make them venerated and the final stop in our nation's and individuals' quest for justice in all matters, for the whole world is watching them?

Incidents of pink sheets going missing, Electoral Commission arranging for then unsigned pink sheets to be dubiously signed (Salamatu in Savelugu), arranging for affidavits to be signed to cover up irregularities (Gambaga), biometric machines going missing (Western region) are all subtle intrigues.

I have to rush to the kitchen, a momentary bachelor as I am with "Zongo ehye". Who can tell me the meaning of "Zongo ehye" (Zongo is burning) as meant in the statement above? All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

"A word to the wise is enough"

Rockson Adofo