According to him, "Ghanaians will also remember this 2021 election petition for that profound moment when the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission opted to evade public scrutiny.
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Supreme Court aided Jean Mensa to avoid explaining to Ghanaians errors committed - Mahama
The 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has accused the Supreme Court of aiding the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Mensa, of mounting the witness box to testify during the hearing of the election petition.
Jean Mensa, EC boss
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"Everything was done in this trial to prevent the Commission from accounting to the people in whose name they hold office."
"Requests for Interrogatories were dismissed. A request to inspect documents in the possession of the Commission was turned down. The request for admission of facts was ignored.
"Worse still, she was aided by her counsel and the court to avoid explaining to the good people of Ghana from her own testimony, under oath in a properly constituted court of law, the errors she herself admits to having committed in the declaration of the 2020 Presidential election results," Mahama told the media after the Supreme Court dismissed his election petition.
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Reacting to the verdict on Thursday, arch 4, 2021, Mahama said while he was not surprised at the decision of the judges, he disagrees with it and the processes of trial and ruling of the court.
"This is a clear stab in the heart of transparency and accountability to the sovereign people of Ghana. Whatever the reasons for not allowing Mrs. Jean Mensa to testify or answer any questions, it leaves an embarrassing stain, not only on our justice delivery system but also, on the nation’s electoral system, which has deepened the grave doubts harboured by many Ghanaians about the true outcome of the December 2020 presidential election," he added.
He expressed worry over what he said is "a dangerous precedent" because the court restrained Mrs Mensa from mounting the witness box to testify.
"The motto of Ghana’s Electoral Commission is Transparency, Fairness, and Integrity – principles the key actors clearly failed to live up to on this occasion. The refusal to account to Ghanaians, further, sets the worrying precedent – and I do really worry about this dangerous precedent – that may allow other heads of state institutions to adopt an approach of opacity and non-accountability in their work.
"Just because they can rely on unconvincing interpretations of our laws to shield them from scrutiny in the near future. I hope and pray that time will prove me wrong," he noted.
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