Mahama's 4,800 witnesses call is intimidating – NPP legal team

Philip Addison

The Leader of the New Patriotic Party legal team, Philip Addison has described the decision by President Mahama to call 4,800 witnesses to testify in on his behalf in the petition seeking to annul the outcome of the December 7 polls as intimidating.

Mr. Addison called on the Supreme Court to dismiss the application filed by President Maham arguing that it is against the laws of petitions in the law court.

President John Mahama in a response to a petition by three personalities of the NPP challenging his election as President in the December 7 election indicated his intention to call 4,800 witnesses to state his case.

In the response filed at the Supreme Court on Saturday, President Mahama accused the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, and the Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, who are contesting his election of “seeking to subvert the Constitution and undermine the sovereign will of the people of Ghana by demanding from the Honourable Court an order annulling the results of the exercise of their fundamental rights under the Constitution”.

The President added that he “shall require from the petitioners particulars of the polling stations, constituencies and regions where pink sheets from different polling stations allegedly had the same serial numbers and the votes allegedly affected in each case”.

He further described the petition by the NPP members as a brazen attempt to find excuses for losing the 2012 presidential election.

However, delivering his statement in court on Wednesday January 16, Philip Addison stated that “under the rules of part 8 of the rules governing petitions in the law court, it is even intimidating for the first respondent to come out to say he has 4,800 witnesses.

“The application if accepted will further muddy the waters hence it should be dismissed”.