Dismiss Mahama's election petition - Akufo-Addo tells Supreme Court

President Akufo-Addo has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss Former President John Mahama's election suit.

The NDC leader is in the Apex Court asking that it annul the election results that saw Akufo-Addo declared president.

In a 12-page response by Akufo-Addo, with his own law firm advising him, the President argues that the petition does not disclose any attack on the validity of the elections held in the 38,622 polling stations and 311 special voting centres, and therefore, the petition is borne out of unfounded imagination.

Akufo-Addo added that the allegation by the Petitioner of “vote padding” which involves some 6622 votes is empty and does not materially affect the outcome of the 2020 general election.

READ ALSO: NDC files petition to challenge 2020 election results

Akufo-Addo’s response partly reads: “2nd Respondent says that the election was conducted across 38,622 polling stations in Ghana and 311 special voting centres and that in each polling station and special voting centre, the votes were counted and the results declared in the presence of representatives of the candidates, counting agents, voters, the general public and in most instances, the media and local and international observers.”

It continued: “Upon the declaration of results, copies are posted at the various polling stations in accordance with the law governing the elections.

“2nd Respondent states that the Petition does not disclose any attack on the validity of the election held throughout the 38,622 polling stations and 311 special voting centres or any of the processes set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 (supra).”

Akufo-Addo further indicated that Mahama’s petition failed to disclose how many votes he should have obtained except pointing out that none of the candidates got more than 50% of the total valid votes cast.

“2nd Respondent, in the circumstance, says the petition is merely conjectural and borne out of petitioner’s unfounded imagination and further that the material facts in the petition do not support the reliefs sought and, therefore, same should be dismissed in limine as incompetent.”

Akufo-Addo further indicated that Mahama in his petition stated that if all votes from Techiman South Constituency are added to his votes, the NPP’s Akufo-Addo will get less than 50% of the total valid votes cast noting that the results from Techiman South were known to John Dramani Mahama at the time of filing his petition.

If the total valid votes cast are credited to each candidate correctly, Akufo-Addo avers that he will duly obtain more than 50% of the votes cast.

Akufo-Addo, therefore, prayed the Supreme Court to “determine that the petition is incompetent, frivolous and vexatious, and discloses no reasonable cause of action in terms of article 64(1) of the Constitution and set the issue down for legal arguments.”

Read below Akufo-Addo's response.