supreme court directs ec to file affidavits. adjourns hearing

The Supreme Court has adjourned hearing of the election petition suit to Wednesday, April 17 to allow the Electoral Commission file its affidavit for the petitioners to be served.

At Tuesday’s court sitting, lawyers for the petitioners challenging the 2012 presidential election results called for a short adjournment to enable them receive and study affidavits sworn by witnesses for the respondents.

But lawyers for the President John Dramani Mahama and the Electoral Commission insisted that the petitioners must start their case.

James Quarshie-Idun, counsel for the EC, told the judges they will file their affidavits later today and prayed the judges to begin hearing because the burden of proof lies with the petitioners.

The first and third respondents, President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) filed their sworn affidavits by witnesses Monday, April 15, 2013, a day before the substantive hearing begun.

The second respondent, the Electoral Commission, which is yet to file sworn affidavits of their witnesses, has up to the close of today to do so.

The nine-member Supreme Court panel, after a short recess, returned and ruled that the hearing be adjourned to tomorrow Wednesday April 17, 2013 for the EC to file its affidavits for them to be served on the petitioners.

The petitioners, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2012 presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (1st petitioner), his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (2nd petitioner) and the party Chairman, Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey (3rd petitioner), are praying the court to annul 4,670,504 votes and subsequently declare Nana Addo, as the one who won the December 2012 elections.

According to them, Nana Akufo-Addo won the elections by 59.69 per cent while President Mahama polled 39.1 per cent.

They are, therefore, challenging the EC’s declaration of President Mahama as winner of the presidential polls with 50.70 per cent.

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Source: Peacefmonline