“We never said that we won the election" - NDC Lawyer

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team member for the 2020 Election petition has stated vividly that the party never claimed victory in the recent general elections.  A report by ClassFm details below;

“We never said that we won the election”, the main opposition National Democratic Congress’ Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine has said, adding: “If we were convinced that we won this election, we would have stated that in the petition”.

The Deputy Attorney General in the erstwhile Mahama administration, who is also one of the nine legal spokespersons for the flagbearer of the NDC in the recently-held elections, Mr John Mahama, as far as the election petition is concerned, made the comment in an interview on GHOne TV on Thursday, 31 December 2020.

He said the NDC, as a party, had, at all times, held the view that neither of the two leading candidates – President Nana Akufo-Addo nor former President John Mahama, got enough votes to cross the victory line in the recently-held election.

Mr Mahama filed a petition at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, 30 December 2020, to challenge the election results, which, according to him, were a “rigged” outcome.

Find below the reliefs being sought by Mr Mahama:

(a) A declaration that Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7` December 2020 was in breach of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution in the declaration she made on 9th December 2020 in respect of the Presidential Election that was held on 7th December 1020;

(b) A declaration that, based on the data contained in the declaration made by Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7th December 2020, no candidate satisfied the requirement of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution to be declared President-elect;

(c) A declaration that the purported declaration made on 9th December 2020 of the results of the Presidential Election by Mrs Jean Adukwel Mensa, Chairperson of Respondent and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7″ December 2020, is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever;

(d) An order annulling the Declaration of President-Elect Instrument, 2020 (C.1. 130) dated 9th December 2020, issued under the hand of Mrs Jean Adukwel Mensa, Chairperson of the [EC] and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held 7′ December 2020 and gazetted on 10th December 2020;

(e) An order of injunction restraining [President Akufo-Addo] from holding himself out as President-elect;

(f) An order of mandatory injunction directing the [EC] to proceed to conduct a second election with Petitioner and [Nana Akufo-Addo] as the candidates as required under Articles 63(4) and (5) of the 1992 Constitution.

In a later address after the filing of the petition, Mr Mahama explained why he decided not to concede.

Source: ClassFm