Tag: Mahama

Posted in Politics

NDC has greater chance of winning 2024 polls with Mahama – Ephson

Posted on by Kofi Tutu

Veteran journalist and a pollster, Ben Ephson Junior says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has greater advantage to win the 2024 Presidential election with John Mahama, considering the votes he garnered in the December 7, 2020 elections.

“I would be very surprised if the NDC picks somebody apart from Mahama,” the pollster told Captain Smart, host of the ‘Anɔpa Bɔfoɔ’ morning show on Angel 102.9 FM, Monday, February 8, 2021.

He added: “He got over 6.2 million votes. The main parties, NDC and NPP, are going to have headaches selecting a flagbearer. As things stand now Mahama is the foregone Candidate. He has a lot of advantages.

“Their main opponents also have a lot of disadvantages towards 2024. The only thing is whether they [NDC] will have a new running mate or not.” 

The NDC will be racing for the Seat of Government in the 2024 general elections, despite the ongoing 2020 election petition hearing at the Supreme Court.

John Dramani Mahama, the 2020 Presidential Candidate for the NDC, based on expert views, is likely to lead the party again towards wresting power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 general elections.

Answering the question of Mahama’s likelihood of losing to his contenders as Party leader, Mr. Ephson is positive that he will prevail over them. According him, John Mahama has a lot supporters on the ground so anyone who contents him will lose.

“The NPP is going to navigate a very tricky path in terms of new flagbearer, and they have a history of having problems whenever they elect a new flagbearer. For this reason a lot of people will like to contend him. If they do, they waste their monies, ” the pollster elaborated.

That said, during the party’s congress to select their Presidential Candidate for the 2020 elections, John Mahama garnered 178, 877 votes from 232 constituencies, representing 93.75% of total votes.

Other likely contenders include Professor Joshua Alabi, the party’s campaign manager in the 2020 elections, who prior to that contested for the leadership position and pulled 3, 835 votes representing 2.01%.

There is also some speculations in the media that Hannah Tetteh, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu-Senya West Constituency and Minister for Foreign affairs under John Mahama, will be contesting for the position. She is now Special UN envoy to African Union.

Dr. Mahamed Ibn Chambas another diplomat serving as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and Sahel, is also conjectured to be part of candidates to contest in the race.

Others are Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho, former Speaker of Parliament; Kwame Awuah-Darko, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR); Horace Nii Ayi Ankrah, former Deputy Ghana Ambassador to China.

Source:Angel 102.9 FM

Posted in Politics

Video] Election Petition: I never said Mahama won the 2020 elections – Aseidu Nketia confronts video evidence in SC

Posted on by Kofi Tutu

First witness for the petitioner in the 2020 Presidential Election Petition, John Asiedu Nketia, has stated in the Supreme Court that he never said the petitioner, John Dramani Mahama, won the 2020 Presidential Elections.

During cross-examination, the witness was confronted with video evidence where he was addressing an NDC press conference after the December 7 elections. The witness admitted to saying the NDC won majority of the seats in Parliament, but denied he declared John Mahama winner in any of the press conferences he addressed before and after the 1st Respondent Electoral Commission’s declaration of the presidential results on December 9.

According to Mr. Nketia, he only expressed expectations that the petitioner would win the elections based on his knowledge of the dynamics of elections in Ghana over the years.

“Every evidence was pointing at president Mahama’s victory and in fact, My Lords, permit me, in all the 7 parliamentary and presidential elections that have been held in this country before this one the presidential candidate and the political party which wins and controls parliament ends up winning the presidency”, he explained.

Counsel for the 2nd Respondent Akufo-Addo, Lawyer Akoto Ampaw insisted that the words of the witness during the press conferences suggested that the petitioner won the presidential elections.

“You claim in one of your statements that you won the elections in all the polling stations all over the country so I’m putting it to you that when you mad the statement that the petitioner had won the election, it presupposed you had the polling station pick sheets”, he queried.

But Mr. Nketia retorted, “My Lord, I indicated that I never said that the petitioner had won the elections”.

He also confirmed to the court that there was no mention of the petitioner winning the election in the petition.

Source:3news.com

Posted in General News, Politics

Supreme Court dismisses Mahama’s application to review ruling on interrogatories

Posted on by Kofi Tutu

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application filed by John Dramani Mahama asking it to review a decision to disallow him from asking the Electoral Commission some 12 questions.

This was after two additional justices, Justice Imoro Tanko and Justice Henrietta Mensah Bonsu were added to the initial seven-member panel hearing the election petition.

Lead Counsel for the petitioner, Tsatsu Tsikata had argued that the interrogatories are relevant as it would help the apex court determine the authenticity of the result that was declared on December 9, 2020, by the EC.

Again, he explained that order 22 under CI 47 can still be applied since it will not affect the 42-day timeline the court wants to meet under the CI 99.

But giving its ruling, the court held that the threshold required to enable it to review its decision has not been met.

Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah explained that no exceptional circumstances have been demonstrated to necessitate the review powers of the court neither has any new evidence been added to urge the court to take a different view.

This dismissal follows a similar ruling on another application by the petitioner, Mr. Mahama, to replace paragraph 28 of the original statement of case, as well as file a supplement to their statement of case requesting for the review.

Mr. Mahama, through his legal team, had argued that the court will not only be provided with further information if the application was granted but the interrogatories will not delay the petition hearing.

But the nine-panel of judges unanimously dismissed the supplementary application and proceeded to hear the review application which was also subsequently dismissed.

The case has since been adjourned to Friday, January 29, 2021.

Background

Mr. Mahama’s lawyers on January 20, 2021 filed a motion asking that the court reviews its decision.

They say the court erred when it ruled that CI 47 was not applicable. They also argue that the court should have exercised its discretionary powers in accordance with article 296 of the constitution.

This provision requires an authority vested with discretionary power to be fair and candid. They further stated that the court got it wrong yet again when it took the view that the current rules requiring expeditious trial mean even amendments are not allowed.

Mr. Mahama on Monday, January 25 filed another process asking to be permitted to file additional ground to support the review requested.

This ground seeks to argue that the court’s ruling was characterized by a lack of due regard to the law or facts (per incuriam) relative to article 129 (4) of the constitution and the court’s decision in Ex Parte Magna International Transport Ltd and Bernard Mornah v AG.

129(4) states that; “For the purposes of hearing and determining a matter within its jurisdiction and the amendment, execution or the enforcement of a judgment or order made on any matter, and for the purposes of any other authority, expressly or by necessary implication given to the Supreme Court by this Constitution or any other law, the Supreme Court shall have all the powers, authority and jurisdiction vested in any court established by this Constitution or any other law.”

They also want to replace paragraph 28 of the original statement of case (that of the review) and additionally file a supplement to the statement of case.

Paragraph 28 in the initial review document stated among others “there is no reference in rule 69(c) 4 of CI 99 to amendments.

It is rather 69 A (6) which provides as follows ….”.

The proposed new paragraph in the bit about “it is rather” quoted 68(7) instead of the 69A(6) quoted earlier.null

Posted in Politics

Mahama corrects errors in his election petition

Posted on by Kofi Tutu

Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has filed a motion at the Supreme Court to correct some errors in his election petition.

Mr. Mahama  said in the motion that “in indorsing on the Writ, the addresses of the parties to be served, an error was made in the description and positioning of the parties in Paragraph 6, which l seek leave to correct”.

It further said “in the relief numbered (f) on the Writ which was repeated in paragraph 35(f) of the Petition, there is typographical error in the third and fourth lines, which refers to “1st Respondent” instead of “2nd Respondent”, which I also seek leave to correct”.

“Counsel has advised me that the parties to the Petition have otherwise properly been indorsed on Writ and correctly described in the Petition.

“In the Appearances which Respondents have caused to be filed on their respective behalves, they acknowledge their correct and proper designations and descriptions. They would therefore not be prejudiced in any manner if the amendment is granted.

“A copy each of the proposed Amended Writ and Petition are attached and marked compositely as Exhibit “AMENDMENT 1. I seek the amendment in good faith”.

Posted in Politics

Ballot paper snatching, military invasion incidents must be probed and sanctions applied – Mahama

Posted on by Kofi Tutu

Former President John Dramani Mahama is calling for an investigation into the various incidents that characterized Thursday dawn’s Speaker of Parliament election.

Mentioning particularly the invasion of the parliamentary chamber by military personnel and the snatching of ballot papers during counting by the Member of Parliament for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkorah, John Mahama said Parliament must probe the two incidents and punish persons behind them.

“Parliament must conduct an investigation into the two incidents and exact appropriate sanctions,” Mahama said in a twitter thread.

He accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of trying to return the country to the era where military personnel had control of governance, saying that this is evidenced in the continuous use of the military in various national democratic exercises.

“The attempt to snatch ballot papers by the MP-elect for Tema West and the invasion of the Chamber by armed military personnel are images one had never expected to see in our 4th Republican Parliament. The recent use of the military in civil democratic processes has become a major worry & gives the impression that this admin is continually seeking to resurrect the exorcised ghosts of our military past,” he said.

Several unexpected incidents characterized the dissolution of the old Parliament and inauguration of a new one from the night of Wednesday, January 6, 2021 to Thursday, January 7, 2021.

Earlier, the NDC Members of Parliament, clad in white, moved to sit on the right side of the Speaker to indicate they were in the majority which sparked serious controversy.

Later the issue of allowing the MP-elect for Assin North, Richard Quayson to vote in the election came up strongly as the Clerk who superintended over the voting process indicated that he would not allow him to cast his ballot because a court injunction had been granted to bar him from holding himself out as the MP.

That issue was resolved and the NDC MP was allowed to vote subsequently.

During counting of the ballots, the Member of Parliament for Tema West and former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry ran to the table and snatched the uncounted ballots of Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye and attempted to bolt with it.

The Chief Whip on the NDC side and MP for Asawase, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak immediately went after him and secured the ballots.

According to John Mahama, the developments proved to “low point(s)” in Ghana’s democratic practice.

“The events of last night stretching into the morning of 7th January have been both a great occasion for Ghana’s democracy and at the same time a day of infamy, which will go down as a low point in our democratic practice,” he indicated.

While congratulating Alban Bagbin on his election as speaker of the 8th Parliament, he commended members of the NDC Caucus for their “dedication and commitment,” adding that Bagbin’s election shows how much great things Ghana can achieve through dialogue and consensus building.

Source: citinewsroom