A member of the Communications Team of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Fredrick Kofi Ameyaw has insisted that former President John Dramani Mahama is deliberately delaying the hearing of the election petition for his political ambitions.
According to him, Mr. Mahama would stage a comeback in 2024 and is using the court to gain public sympathy.
“I think the petitioner former President John Dramani Mahama is delaying the court process to stay relevant for his political ambition and is also abusing the constitutional provisions for his political comeback and also to toy with his supporters.”
“When you look at his petition, and you recall that, a day after the declaration of the results, he told his supporters that he won the elections, but he is in court asking for a rerun, and for me, clearly, that is a form of deceit to the Ghanaians and his supporters.”
Mr. Ameyaw made these comments on Citi TV‘s Breakfast Daily programme on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini described such claims as “dishonest”.
According to him, Mr. Mahama is only seeking justice in court and nothing else.
Mahama ‘playing legal tricks’ to delay Election Petition case – Oppong Nkrumah
Earlier, a spokesperson for President Akufo-Addo’s legal team, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah expressed their disappointment at a new motion of notice filed by the petitioner, John Dramani Mahama.
On Monday, January 25 John Dramani Mahama through his lawyers filed an application seeking an additional ground of review to replace paragraph 28 of the original statement of case and file a supplement to the statement of case.
The petitioner and his legal team by this move were basically seeking to file another ground to support the review application on the interrogatories they intend to serve on the 1st Respondent, the Electoral Commission (EC).
“The court has given Tuesday to complete pre-trial and then give the necessary orders to start the hearing. We are already behind schedule but on Monday, we were informed that the lawyers of Mr. Mahama have filed a new process aimed at amending some of their previous processes, and we have been served accordingly.”
He further backed his point saying, the new application is another ploy by the petitioners to delay the hearing of the substantive case at the Supreme Court.
“The effect will be that we are going to have a further delay in this enterprise. That is why we are a bit not surprised because it is becoming obvious that the tactic of the John Mahama team is always to occasion delays and find a way of preventing us from going unto the substantive matter. So we are not surprised, but we are disappointed that they keep playing these legal tricks”, he added.
