The legal team of the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has filed a motion, with the intent to correct some errors in his appeal contesting the outcome of the 2020 general elections.
According to the motion by the team, it contends that an error was made with respect to the description and positioning of the parties to be served the writ.
Additionally, it opined that, there was a typographical error with one of the reliefs in the writ.
“In the relief numbered (f) on the writ which was repeated in paragraph 35(f) of the petition, there is a typographical error in the third and fourth lines, which refers to 1st Respondent instead of 2nd Respondent”.
As such, the motion issued by the opposition party’s legal team is for a reversal of the position and designation of the said parties and a correction of the typographical errors.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 formally filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the outcome of the December 7, 2020, presidential elections.
The lawsuit follows weeks of street protests over alleged voter fraud and irregularities in the just-ended polls.
The suit was filed by Mr. Mahama’s lawyers following the party‘s audit of the 2020 Presidential results “and extensive consultations with the National Executive Committee and Council of Elders of the party”.
In a statement, the NDC said the petition details “serious violations of the 1992 Constitution by the Electoral Commission and its Chairperson and Returning Officer for the Presidential Election, Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa in the conduct of their constitutional and legal responsibility”.
The petition seeks among others, a declaration from the Supreme Court to the effect that, “the purported declaration of the results of the 2020 Presidential Election on the 9th day of December 2020 is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.
In his petition to the Supreme Court, Mr. Mahama also insisted that the results declared by the Electoral Commission in favour of President Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party were “made arbitrarily, capriciously, and with bias”
The NPP subsequently responded to the petition, describing it as error-ridden and empty.
“It is quite curious that John Dramani Mahama, the NDC flagbearer and Petitioner, who grounds his Petition on supposed errors made by the Electoral Commission, has himself submitted a Petition fraught with errors, including requesting a run-off between himself and the Electoral Commission,” the party said in a statement.
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo won the election with 51.3 percent of the vote while the Mr. Mahama followed in the second position with 47.7 percent of valid votes cast.
However, the NDC refused to accept the results because of its claims of malfeasance in the polls.
One of the issues the opposition party raised during its protests has been alleged rigging in the Techiman South constituency which the party says could have resulted in a runoff.
