The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied ever declaring former President John Mahama as the winner of the 2020 general elections.
Johnson Asiedu Nketia during his cross-examination in the ongoing election petition hearing at the Supreme Court, Monday, stated that the only declaration he made was the parliamentary results.
The chief scribe said based on the outcomes, he predicted the chances of Mahama’s victory.
“My Lord, I have watched the video and I have watched it here, I standby every word, every punctuation, every sentence that relates to me Johnson Aseidu Nketia and there is nowhere unless we are watching a different clip, there is nowhere I indicated definitively that the first respondent [Mahama] has won the elections.
“What I said is that we have won the majority of seats in parliament and that the petitioner [Mahama] as prosing for victory and that is precisely what has shown up in all the various speeches I have made which have been clipped together,” he stressed.
His comment comes after the lead counsel of Akufo-Addo’s legal team, Akoto Ampaw confronted him with video evidence in court showing leaders of the NDC referring to Mr Mahama as President-elect.
The NDC before the December 7 polls had said it was not going to accept the results of a flawed election.
To their word, after the elections, they held a series of press conferences rejecting the outcome of the 2020 election, insisting it was flawed and the results are fictitious.
This led to a series of demonstration across the country by NDC supporters and sympathisers before a petition was filed to seek redress in court.
Mr Ampaw, however, challenged Mr Asiedu Nketia’s testimony of not pronouncing Mahama as the winner in the December 7 polls.
He claimed to have heard and seen the NDC General Secretary and other officials pronounce Mr Mahama as the winner of the 2020 polls.
“In the video, you said the NDC has won 416 and that puts us[NDC] in a clear majority and will be given president Mahama the needed majority in parliament to be able to conduct his business as President. I am putting it to you that you thereby imply that president Mahama had won the elections.
"Again in the video, Otukonor says Mahama has won this election by 6,166,385 and that constitute 50.15% is that not so,” he quizzed.
The General Secretary in his testimony, nevertheless, admitted to the above questions by the lawyer but refused to answer further questions.
He said, “I heard him say so in the video, but my Lord I indicated last Friday that I was present at the press conferences addressed by my good self and the petitioner and I did indicate clearly that I will not be in the position to testify about whatever any other officials of the NDC have said at their various press conferences."
Aseidu Nketia added that Mr Mahama’s motive in court is to challenge some actions and inactions of the Electoral Commission and not necessarily seek the announcement of different election results.
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