Election 2020: We accepted petition verdict for peace to reign – Mahama

The 2020 Flagbearer and Presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, says he accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court on the Election 2020 petition for peace to reign.

John Mahama challenged the results of the Election 2020 in court after describing the exercise as “fraudulent”.

But in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court said the case had no merit.

Per the results from the electoral commission, President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 51.59% of the votes and Mahama took 47.36%.

Speaking to the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs as part of his “Thank you tour” today October 12 2021, John Dramani Mahama, noted that although the NDC accepted the verdict, they disagreed with a lot of things that took place in court.

According to him, the NDC accepted the verdict of the election “in the interest of peace in the country”.

Mahama explained that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done and so the demands made during the court hearing, one of them was to let the Electoral Commission give access to information which was turned down.

“I think that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done and so the demands we made during the court hearing, one, to let the electoral commission give access to information which was turned down".

“Another was to ask the Electoral Commission some questions, which is done in normal court proceedings, that was also turned down. And indeed the most injurious one to our democracy, that is to let the person responsible for elections in this country stand in the witness box and testify to the work she did, was also turned down".

“And so, we accepted the verdict but we disagreed with a lot of things that took place in that court. But in the interest of the peace of the country, we accept by reason of that court, it means that the recognized president of the country is Nana Akufo-Addo and we all respect him as our president. I will continue to say that even though we disagreed with processes of the elections, we disagreed with some of the processes of the court hearing, the reality of the fact is that he is our president,” John Dramani Mahama told the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs.