The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the election petition brought before it by the 2020 presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama.
President Akufo-Addo described Mahama’s petition as “incompetent, frivolous and vexatious”.
John Mahama on December 30, 2020, through his lawyers, filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the results of the 2020 elections that declared President Akufo-Addo winner of the polls.
In his petition to the Supreme Court, Mr. Mahama contended 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.”
He subsequently asked the court to annul the election result and order for another poll to be conducted between himself and President Akufo-Addo.
Meanwhile, in a 12-page response cited by Citi News, lawyers of President Akufo-Addo argued that the claims made by John Mahama “are not supported by the facts pleaded in the Petition”.
“That in the circumstance, the petition is incompetent, frivolous and vexatious and discloses no reasonable cause of action in terms of 64(1) of the constitution.”
“2nd respondent accordingly invites this honourable court to determine that the petition is incompetent, frivolous and vexatious and discloses no reasonable cause of action in terms of 64(1) of the constitution and sets the issue down for legal arguments.”
Electoral Commission responds
In a related development, the Electoral Commission which is the 1st Respondent in the case has also filed its response.
The Commission through its lawyers denied any wrongdoing and asked the court to dismiss the petition “for not disclosing any reasonable cause of action”.
“The 1st Respondent adds that Petitioner has failed to indicate the exact number of votes and percentages that he or the other candidates ought to have obtained in comparison to the number of votes and percentages declared by 1st Respondent.”
