Former President John Dramani Mahama has once again taken on the Electoral Commission (EC) over the conduct of the 2020 general elections insisting the commission did a shoddy job.
Speaking in an interview on Cape FM, in the Central Region, as part of his “Thank you tour” Mahama also expressed misgivings at the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 2020 election petition.
He insisted that the ruling wasn’t in tandem with the rights and freedoms enshrined in the 1992 constitution.
“[The ruling] looked like the Supreme Court had its predetermined verdict. But we accepted it for the peace of this country. I think a lot of things went wrong [during the 2020 polls]. It’s one of the worse [elections] we’ve had in this country since 1992.”
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“In an election that for the first time eight persons were killed, how can someone say it was the most peaceful, an election that for the first time, EC ballot papers were leaked with some spotted in cars and bushes? So If I am marking this election, I’ll give it an F,” he said.
The former President had earlier refuted claims by the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, that the 2020 general election is the most credible poll in the country’s history.
The former President who was responding to Jean Mensa’s statement at the ECOWAS Parliament said her inability to appear before the Supreme Court to defend questions about the 2020 election results is a clear sign that the election was not credible.
Mr. Mahama said this while addressing the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah on Thursday, October 14, 2021,
“The manner in which the Supreme Court dismissed our election petition was not fair. An election petition case has been heard in this country before. When Nana Akufo-Addo sent his 2012 election petition case to court, it was accepted. Afari Gyan responded to his questions.”
“But when it got to our turn…we were not allowed to ask our questions. In 2012, Asiedu Nketiah was asked to testify. In 2020, he was called again to testify. In 2012, Afari Gyan was asked to mount the witness box. But in 2020, when Jean Mensa was asked to mount the witness box, she refused. I heard her saying the other time that the 2020 election is the best election Ghana has ever had. If she is convinced that it is the best election Ghana has ever had, she should have mounted the witness box,” he said.
