The second respondent (President Akufo-Addo) in the Election 2020 petition filed at the Supreme Court by the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, says the application by the petitioner (Mahama), seeking to stop proceedings pending the determination of his application for a review of the dismissal of his interrogatories application, is unmeritorious and clearly a tactic by the petitioner to get the court to breach CI 99.
In an affidavit in opposition, filed on Friday 22 January 2021 in response to the motion for stay of proceedings filed by lawyers of John Mahama on 21 January 2021, the second respondent says there is no merit whatsoever in the application for stay of proceedings.
Akufo-Addo argues that the interrogatories the petitioner sought to serve on the Electoral Commission of Ghana, the first respondent, are either totally irrelevant to the determination of the petition, or have no bearing on issues in dispute arising from the applicant’s (Mahama’s) own pleadings in the petition as filed.
“The interrogatories sought to be served on first respondent are ‘fishing interrogatories’ and the Supreme Court rightly dismissed same. The application for review has absolutely no chance of success and can therefore hardly be a basis for seeking to stay proceedings in this court pending the disposal of same,” says the affidavit in opposition deposed by Kwaku Asirifi, a member of President Akufo-Addo’s legal team.
