Source: Facebook
The Supreme Court on March 4, 2021, dismissed former President Mahama’s challenge to the 2020 presidential election results in the election petition trial.
Akufo-Addo defeated Mahama in the said election to secure another four-year term; collecting 51.302% of the votes cast against the latter’s 47.359%.
The votes difference between the two candidates stood at 517, 231, representing a four percentage point, one of the highest since 1996.
Mahama petitioned the apex court, praying it to annul the results declared by the chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa. According to him, there was no winner in the election, and that a rerun must be ordered between him and President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The seven-member Supreme Court panel led by the Chief Justice (CJ) Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, that heard the 2020 presidential election petition, has unanimously dismissed the suit as having no merit.
According to the judgement, though the petition disclosed cause of action, the petitioner, John Dramani Mahama, failed to meet the burden of proof and persuasion to merit a judgement in his favour.
The Supreme Court verdict was entirely read out by the President of the panel, the CJ, that has been sitting on the 2020 Election Petition since the hearing began on January 14, 2021.
“The petitioner has not provided any evidence to rebut the evidence created by the presumption CI135, for which his action must fail.
Petitioner
The case was filed by the NDC’s 2020 Presidential Candidate, John Dramani Mahama. He is the former President of Ghana who lost the 2016 election and contested in the 2020 polls with the hope of capturing power
Respondents
In accordance with the rules governing the hearing of petitions in Ghana, Mr. Mahama named Ghana’s electoral management body, Electoral Commission and Nana Akufo-Addo as respondents. Nana Akufo-Addo has been President of Ghana since 2016 and was declared the winner of the 2020 polls by the Electoral Commission.
John Mahama’s case
Mr. Mahama claims none of the candidates who contested the polls obtained more than 50% of the votes cast. He alleges that the person said to have won the polls benefitted from vote padding.
The Supreme Court has dismissed the election petition brought before it by John Dramani Mahama, the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Supreme Court of Ghana has upheld the re-election of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as president of Ghana. The decision means he was validly elected during the December 7, 2020, presidential elections