Lawyers for President Akufo-Addo and the Electoral Commission will this morning cross-examine 2020 NDC presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama’s third witness in the election petition at the Supreme Court.

Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo who has already had five out of his 32 points in his witness statement struck out, will face the court via zoom.

On Friday, February 5, 2021, the lead counsel for the petitioner, Tsatsu Tsikata had indicated that due to the health condition of Mr. Mettle-Nunoo, he will not be able to be physically present in court.

The court subsequently agreed for him to testify from his location but directed that a judicial officer be present with him.

After oral arguments and some objections raised by the Counsels for the 1st and 2nd Respondent, the 7-member panel of judges maintained 27 paragraphs out of the total 32 submitted by the witness.

The court in a similar ruling given when it set aside seven portions from Mr. Asiedu Nketia’s (the first witness for John Mahama) statement insisted that the claims in those portions struck out were not contained in the petition and did not come up during cross-examination.

They also adjourned hearing to Monday, February 8, 2021 for the cross-examination of Mr. Mettle-Nunoo to take place.

I was misled by EC officials to sign some collation sheets – Mettle-Nunoo tells Supreme Court

Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, one of the representatives of the 2020 NDC presidential candidate at the EC’s national collation centre (strong room) says he was misled into certifying some regional results.

He alleges in paragraph 11 of his witness statement that he was misled by the EC officials into signing the regional collation sheet for Ashanti region.

He explained that he signed the statement because there was a signature of the agent of Mr Mahama on it.

He later found out that what had been presented on the signed collation form was not consistent with a tally of polling station results in the Ashanti Region.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo claims further that there were two separate summary sheets brought to the strong room for the Eastern Region.

He insists both could not be authentic and it is only by getting the originals of these documents that the petitioner can get clarity on exactly which one is genuine.

He further alleges that his team detected challenges with the Greater Accra region results.

“We observed that the total votes given to the petitioner which is meant to be based on the sum of all constituency votes, on the face of the regional summary sheets presented were less than his actual total,” he states.

He further alleges that there is a difference of 1,707 votes between the regional summary sheets presented to them in the strongroom and the one published on the EC’s website and there has been no explanation for this.

He again makes reference to the Northern Region where he says two regional results summary sheets were brought into the strong room.

One, he alleges was without the signatures of the agents of the candidates and the other had no signature of the NDC agent but had been signed by the NPP, GUM, CPP, and PPP agents.

He insists it is only by getting the originals of these documents that there can be clarity on exactly which is the genuine one from the region.

On the Western North Region, Mr Mettle-Nunoo said he made a mistake by signing the sheet even though Mr Mahama’s agent had not signed it at the regional level.

He explains that he signed without noticing the reason Mr. Mahama’s agent had stated for not signing them.

He then corroborates the claim made by Dr. Kpessah-Whyte about the EC Chair asking ( or instructed as used by Dr. Whyte during cross-examination) that they confer with their presidential candidate.

“She said very directly that we should go and speak with the petitioner,” he wrote.