Lawyers for President Akufo-Addo in the ongoing 2020 Presidential election petition has prayed the Supreme Court to dismiss the stay of proceedings application filed by lawyers of the petitioner, Mr John Dramani Mahama asking the court to discontinue the hearing.
Mr Mahama, through his legal team, filed for stay of proceedings of the Election Petition at the Supreme Court, praying the court to halt hearing on the main Election Petition until a determination is made on his request for review of an earlier determination by the Court.
Mr Mahama wanted the EC Chair, Jean Mensa to admit, among other things, that the figures and percentages she announced come to 100.3% instead of 100%, however the court presided over by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, in a unanimous decision dismissed the application for interrogatories allowing for the substantive matter to be heard.
In an affidavit, lawyers of President Akufo-Addo said “there is no merit whatsoever in the application for stay of proceedings, as the interrogatories that Petitioner sought to serve on [the EC] were either totally irrelevant to the determination of the Petition or not in respect of issues in controversy arising from the pleadings.
“The application for review has absolutely no chance of success and can therefore hardly be a basis for seeking to stay proceedings in this Court pending the disposal of same.”
They further described the application as a “calculated attempt to frustrate the determination of the Petition in a just and expeditious manner.”
Instead of complying with the statutorily prescribed timelines, Petitioner’s legal team is misleading the public that 20th January 2021, was only the 2nd day of the pre-trial timetable. In the circumstances, it lies ill in the mouth of Petitioner to be suggesting that justice is being sacrificed on the altar of expedition.”
“It is untenable for Petitioner having filed his Petition as far back as 30th December 2020, to claim on 20th January 2021, that he is unable to file his Witness Statements without 151 Respondent’s response to his request to admit facts, interrogatories, and notice to inspect documents. Indeed, the substance of the Petitioner’s witness statements should have been known to him prior to filing the Petition.”
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