FULL LIVESTREAMING: Mahama addresses media after Supreme Court verdict
The petitioner in the 2020 Election Petition, John Dramani Mahama, is addressing the media after the Supreme Court of Ghana upheld the election of second respondent, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The apex court by a unanimous decision dismissed the petition brought before it by Mahama who was the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the election. The former president, who was in court today for the verdict, will be making his first comments on the verdict. The 7-member panel led by the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah ruled that: “The petitioner has not provided any evidence to rebut the evidence created by the presumption CI135, for which his action must fail. “We therefore have no reason to order a re-run as pleaded by the petitioner. We accordingly dismiss the petition as having no merit,” the CJ added as he concluded reading the over two-hour judgement. Watch the livestream of his address below: Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
See how Dr. Bawumia celebrated his boss after the Supreme Court Verdict
The Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia after the Supreme Court Verdict salutes his boss in a very respectful manner. Ghana’s highest court has rejected a challenge to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo victory in the 2020 election. The verdict brings to an end the election petition filed by the NDC 2020 Presidential Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Breaking News: Supreme Court Unanimously rule in favour of Nana Akufo Addo [ Full Text]
Former President John Mahama who re-contested the election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), took the Electoral Commission to court, challenging the validity of the Commission’s 9th December 2020 declaration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as winner of the poll. Mr. Mahama also contended in his petition that, President Akufo-Addo did not meet the constitutional threshold for election to the high office of president yet was so declared. The Supreme Court’s judgment was supposed to address five issues that were set forth for determination, including the question of whether or not President Akufo-Addo met the constitutional threshold for election to the office of president. The Issues are: A.Whether or not the petition discloses any reasonable cause of action. B. Whether or not based on the data contained in the declaration of the Electoral Commission of President Akufo-Addo as president-elect, no candidate obtained more than 50% of the valid votes casts as required by art.63 3 of the 1992 constitution. C. Whether or not the 2nd respondent still met the Article 63(3) of the 1992 constitution threshold by the exclusion or inclusion of the Techiman South constituency presidential election results.D.Whether or not the declaration by the first respondent dated 9th of December 2020 of the results of the presidential election conducted on the 7th of December 2020 was in violation of Article 63(3) of the 1992 constitution. E. Whether or not the alleged vote padding and other errors complained of by the petitioner affected the outcome of the presidential election results of 2020. Also,the Chief Justice Anim Yeboah made it known that all the stated above issues holds if and only if, whether or not President Akufo-Addo met the constitutional threshold for election to the office of president. Election Petition: Chief Justice says though the petitioner is not challenging the validity of the whole election organized, he is challenging the results. Election Petition: He (Chief Justice) says the petitioner is seeking an order to set aside C.I 135 and another order for a re-run to be organized. Election Petition: He (Chief Justice) says the petitioner is not challenging the data of the 1st Respondent upon which the declaration was made and therefore did not present any data. Election Petition: He (Anin-Yeboah) says according to the petitioner, the 1st Respondent was not fair to him when they failed to engage his representatives to correct alleged errors identified. Election Petition: Chief Justice, (Anin-Yeboah) moves to the argument by the 1st Respondent. Election Petition: He (Anin-Yeboah) says the EC maintains that although some errors were made it does not affect the declaration. Election Petition: Chief Justice Anin- Yeboah says the 2nd Respondent has described the petition as incompetent. They insist that President Akufo-Addo obtained more than 50% of the votes cast. Election Petition: Chief Justice says the 2nd Respondent has asked for the petition to be dismissed because the petitioner has not challenged the validity of the polls conducted. Election Petition: Chief Justice says based on the information presented, the court set up some issues for determining the case Election Petition: In a civil trial all that the court requires is evidence and proof – Chief Justice, Anin- Yeboah. Election Petition: He (Anin- Yeboah) says the burden of proof was on the petitioner to prove that the declaration of results was flawed. Election Petition: He (Anin-Yeboah) says initially the petitioner called only two witnesses and after that prayed the court to allow him to call a third witness. Chief Justice Anin Yeboah said the respondents disagreed but the court agreed Election Petition: He (Anin-Yeboah) says the testimony of the first witness was emphatic about why the petitioner was in court. Election Petition: Chief Justice says PW1 and PW2 were not under any obligation to leave the strong room and should have ensured that their back up takes over when they were leaving. Election Petition: Chief Justice says a candidate or an agent cannot abandon his post and ask the Supreme Court to rule when he fails to sign documents. Election Petition: He (Chief Justice) says all the attempt by the petitioner to object to this decision including asking to reopen his case were dismissed by the court. Election Petition: He (Anin Yeboah) says the argument that the petitioner had a weak case may not affect the case that there is reasonable cause. Election Petition: Chief Justice says the source of this issue is the error made by the chairperson. He says there is no doubt that the Chairperson made a mistake when announcing the figures. Election Petition: He (Chief Justice) says the apex court is of the option that the Chairperson had a right to correct the mistake when it was noticed. Election Petition: Chief Justice says at the time the petition was filed, the results of the Techiman South Constituency had been added. Election Petition: Chief Justice says by law, the burden of proof rested on the petition and an instrument put in place to regulate how a president is declared in Ghana. Election Petition: He (Chief Justice) says it is their opinion that the error made by the EC Chair and which did not affect the result is insufficient to say there was a violation of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution Election Petition: Errors by the EC Chair cannot take away the valid votes of the people – Chief Justice. Election Petition: He (Chief Justice) says the petitioner also failed to back his claim that the declaration by the EC Chairperson was wrong. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Akufo Addo officially declared president elect by Apex court
Ghana’s highest court has rejected a challenge to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo victory in the 2020 election. The verdict brings to an end the election petition filed by the NDC 2020 Presidential More soon… Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
The least said about Rojo Nonoo and Kpessah Whyte’s testimony the better, their testimony was empty–Supreme Court
“In fact, regarding the testimonies of PW2 and PW3 , if their evidence is to be believed then they had to blame themselves for abandoning their post at the national collation centre at the time the verification and certification of the results were ongoing and PW3 had then verified and certified the regional collation results out of the 16.” this was according to the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice in reading the verdict for the 2020 election petition has said that Rojo Mettle Nonoo and Kpessah Whyte’s testimony did not contribute anything to the case of John Dramani Mahama. According to the Chief Justice who was reading the verdict which is said to be unanimous said “Their testimonies were therefore of no relevance to the said issues set out for determination and so we find them unworthy for consideration whatsoever”. To the bench “The testimonies would have carried some little weight if the purpose of the petition was to change entries made on the collation forms or summary sheets but that is not the case”. The Chief Justice said the two witnesses should rather blame themselves for abandoning their duty of representing the interest of the petitioner in the strong room. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Domelevo sacked with a compulsory retirement letter
President Nana Akufo-Addo has sacked the embattled Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo with a compulsorily retirement letter. A letter signed by Nana Bediatuo Asante, Executive Secretary to the President on Wednesday, March 3, and addressed to Daniel Yao Domelevo said: “The attention of the President of the Republic has been drawn to records and documents made available to the Office by the Audit Service, that indicate that your date of birth is 1 June 1960 and that in accordance with article 199(1) of the Constitution, your date of retirement as Auditor General was 1 June 2020. “Based on this information, the President is of the view that you have formally left office. Mr Johnson Akuamoa-Asiedu will continue to act as Auditor-General until the President appoints a substantive Auditor General. “The president thanks you for your service to the nation and wishes you the very best in your future endeavours.” Daniel Domelevo recently became a subject of many news discussions after a series of correspondence between himself and the Audit Service Board came to the fore. The Board alleged that records at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) provided by the Auditor-General indicated that his date of birth was 1960 when he joined the scheme on October 1, 1978. Again, the Board insisted that the hometown of Mr. Domelevo is Agbetofe in Togo, thereby making him non-Ghanaian, even though on October 25, 1993, Domelevo had changed those records. While the date of birth changed to June 1, 1961, the hometown of the Auditor-General was now Ada in the Greater Accra Region, the Board claimed in a three-page letter addressed to Mr. Domelevo on Tuesday, March 2, just a day before he was to resume work from a forced 167-day leave. Daniel Yao Domelevo duly informed the board that the two allegations were false and offered explanations. The Board replied indicating, “observation of your responses and explanations contained in your above reference letter make your date of birth and Ghanaian nationality even more doubtful and clearly establishes that you have made false statements contrary to law”. The Board consequently insisted that Mr. Domelevo was due for compulsory retirement on June 1, 2020, and was in fact not Ghanaian but Togolese. “Records made available to the Board indicate that your date of retirement was 1 June 2020 and as far as the Audit Service is concerned you are deemed to have retired,” it noted. Meanwhile, Domelevo returned to work on Wednesday, March 3. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
I’m the first person who will suffer huge casualties, if we go to opposition–Kennedy Agyapong
“NPP people should listen to me. Well, if we go to opposition, I’m the first person who will suffer huge casualties, therefore I’m not going to sit down for anybody to make a mistake to send the party to opposition. Don’t think that I’ll remain silent, I will definitely talk after all the ministers are appointed and approved by Parliament. If the NPP like, let them repeat the same mistakes and see if they can control me. No, no, no, they can’t, if they do. So their fixation on power at this early stage of Akufo Addo’s second term must be shelved. MP for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong has cautioned The Assin Central Member of Parliament, Ken Agyapong who was very furious told Oman FM in an interview monitored by Apexnewsgh.com condemned growing tension building up by supporters of Alan Kyerematen the trade minister, and Vice-President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia over who succeeds President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo just after the general election, stressing that if the campaign continues between supporters of the two, it will send the party to opposition. “It is too early to start jostling for who’ll succeed President Akufo Addo when he’s even yet to form his government for the second term. We should learn from our past mistakes and stop disintegrating the party with our ambitions, it will not help the party.” However, the General Secretary of the governing NPP, John Boadu said the party will not tolerate the testing of waters now by party bigwigs who have ambitions of leading the party as Flagbgearer into the 2024 Presidential election. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
NDC letter to EC says they obtained 47%, as they requested for their refund of Parliamentary and Presidential filing fee
The Opposition National Democratic Congress has confirmed in a letter written to the Electoral Commission requesting for a refunds that, they got a total of 47.396 percent valid votes in the 2020 election. After the 2020 election the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were not in agreement with the EC result declaration. Which saw a series of Demonstrations across the country. However, Supreme Court is yet to declare its verdict tomorrow March 4, 2021 after some series court challenge by the NDC. But surprisingly, Apexnewsgh.com has captured letter dated 29-2-2021 requesting for the refund of Parliamentary and Presidential filing fee for the 2020 general elections. And in this letter, the NDC made it clear that they got a total of 47 percent valid votes in the 2020 election. Below is the letter: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
See the mood of Hawa Koomson, when she received the disapproval news
It was a sad moment when Hawa Koomson received the news of her disapproval by the minority side of the appointment committee. Indeed, no one is expected to be excited with disappointment especially when he/ she is expected to be approved as a fisheries Minister and later, the least you would hear from the Minority side of the Appointment Committee was that “you are not fit for the job” That is so painful. However, no one knows whether the Minority side of the Appointment Committee will reconsider their decision on the former Minister for Special Initiative. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Appointments Committee cannot approve or disapprove any nominee – Kweku Baako
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper has opined that the Appointments Committee of Parliament cannot have the final say in the approval or disapproval of any of the ministerial nominees. According to him, the Appointments Committee can only recommend to the plenary about which nominees to approve or disapprove and the final decision must be made “by consensus or majority decision by the plenary”. Commenting on a Facebook post by US-based Ghanaian lawyer Stephen Kwaku Asare aka Kweku Azar, who suggested that the disapproval of Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah by the Appointments Committee, which Kweku Azar thinks the Majority of the plenary should reverse, Baako wrote: “but the Appointments Committee does not and cannot have a final say relative to the approval or disapproval process per the Standing Orders! It can only recommend approval by consensus or majority decision by the plenary. Baako added: “My research findings (so far) show that it is/was on only one occasion that it “unanimously” recommended outright disapproval/rejection of a nominee to the plenary. Even then, some amendments had to be effected on the Committee’s report at the plenary. “De jure no. De facto yes” notwithstanding! Respectfully!!” Kweku Baako Jnr. explained that he will be more comfortable with a recommendation from the Appointments Committee that appears negative because a negative recommendation to the House will “imply that the Committee’s report to the House is proposing that the nominees be either approved by consensus or majority decision (secret ballot)”. “I am saying there’s nothing unprecedented or unusual about that [disapproval] factor; the present numerical circumstances of parliamentary representation notwithstanding. There have been instances of nominees who deserved to have been approved by consensus but were subjected to the option of majority decision at the plenary. And that didn’t take anything substantially away from them. Nothing devastating in my candid opinion!” Baako observed. The Appointments Committee of Parliament has disapproved President Akufo-Addo’s candidates of ministers-nominee for Food and Agriculture, Information and Fisheries, namely Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and Hawa Koomson, respectively, according to sources that cite Asaase Radio 99.5FM. The report stated that the Minority side of the committee was not happy with Oppong Nkrumah, accusing him of instigating the Supreme Court judges to cite Dr Dominic Ayine for contempt in the ongoing election 2020 petition hearing. On these rejections, Kweku Baako insists in his comment on Kweku Azar’s post: “I still don’t get your drift! Essentially and constitutionally, the Committee has no mandate (never had) to approve or disapprove any presidential nominee! NEVER! Some Committee recommendations have/had been disapproved by the plenary. These are part of the precedents and practices of the 4th Republican Parliament since 1993. Baako further argued: “The point about ‘otherwise, there is no need for the Committee and the plenary should just vote directly on the candidates’ is unsupported by the dictates of the Constitution and the Standing Orders. It just doesn’t arise. And I don’t want to speculate on that scenario. “It is not good not to come out of the Committee? Maybe. However, there may or could be many reasons why some nominees may “suffer” that deficit! I really do not put much premium on that factor, considering my estimation of the nature of the process…” Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093