Election Petition Verdict Was ‘Excellent, Well-Reasoned’ – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described as excellent and well-reasoned, the Supreme Court’s judgment in the 2020 Election Petition case brought before it by former President John Dramani Mahama.

“I am particularly delighted as this message is the first of my second term, the validity of which was unanimously upheld last week in a well-reasoned and excellent ruling by a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by the Chief Justice, on 4th March 2021”, he said on Tuesday in Parliament as he presented the State of the Nation Address.

President Akufo-Addo has therefore asked Ghanaians to accept the court’s ruling and forge towards dealing with challenges currently facing the country.

“The Supreme Court, for example, last week determined the challenge to the validity of the 2020 presidential election and affirmed its validity in a unanimous decision. The Court has spoken. It is time for all of us to move on, and, in a united manner, confront the problems of post-COVID Ghana”.

Three months after intense trial, the Supreme Court on Thursday, March 4, 2021, ruled that the 2020 Election petition filed by former President, John Dramani Mahama was unmeritorious.

The Justices of the Court explained that the petition was incompetent, lacked merit, and raised no reasonable cause of action because the petitioner failed to prove his case via his petition or through his witnesses.

John Mahama who represented the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the polls went to court insisting that none of the nine presidential candidates obtained the mandatory 50%+1 vote constitutional threshold to be declared the winner of the polls.

In his petition filed on December 30, 2020, Mr. Mahama sought five reliefs from the apex court.

He among things asked the Supreme Court to declare the EC’s declaration of President Nana Akufo-Addo as winner of the polls as unconstitutional, null and void.

Mr. Mahama based his arguments on some declaration errors made by the EC as well as allegations of vote padding.

He also asked the apex court to order the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a re-run of the election between himself and President Akufo-Addo.

But Chair of the seven-member panel, Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah subsequently dismissed the petition.

Shortly after the day’s ruling, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he emerging winner of 2020 presidential election was finally guaranteed.

President Akufo-Addo, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took to social media to make the claim shortly after the apex court ruled that he was validly elected.

“On Thursday, 4th March 2021, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling, affirmed my victory in the presidential election of 7th December 2020”, he posted on Twitter.

On Thursday, 4th March 2021, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling, affirmed my victory in the presidential election of 7th December 2020. pic.twitter.com/TuJLuVxqDi

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) March 4, 2021