The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr. Hassan Ayariga has advised his colleague Candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, to stop “wasting his time” at the Supreme Court with his election petition and rather concentrate on preparations for 2016.
“I’ll ask him to start preparations [toward] organising his party for the 2016 Presidential election rather than going to court and wasting his time there”, Mr Ayariga counseled in an interview with XYZ News on Thursday April 25, 2013.
Mr. Ayariga believes Nana Akufo Addo’s challenge of the 2012 Presidential results will amount to nothing and thus his advice to the former Attorney General and Justice Minister to withdraw the Petition from the Supreme Court and focus his energies on contesting the next Presidential election.
Mr. Ayariga has also accused Nana Akufo Addo of breaching the Kumasi Peace Declaration which was signed by all the eight Presidential Candidates who contested the 2012 elections.
He said the NPP Flagbearer’s refusal to concede defeat and accept the Presidential results declared by the Electoral Commission clearly betrays Nana Akufo Addo’s non-commitment to the declaration.
He said: “We signed a declaration in Kumasi that we will accept the verdict of the results of the elections and I remember quite well that I was one of them and I can also remember quite well that Nana Akufo Addo was also one of them so if he has breached that Declaration, that is left unto him to decide”, adding that: “Ghanaians are watching what is happening”.
The Petitioners, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (First Respondent), together with his Running Mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the Party’s National Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, is challenging the validity of the 2012 presidential polls.
They claim there were widespread irregularities as well as strategically planned rigging, through the collusion of the First Respondent, President John Mahama and the Second Respondent, the Electoral Commission.
They therefore are praying the Supreme Court to annul results in over 11,138 polling stations where they claim massive and strategic rigging occurred.
Dr Bawumia has been under cross-examination for the past five days after he was led in evidence by his lead Counsel, Philip Addison.
He is expected to be cross-examined by Counsel for the third Respondent (NDC), Tsatsu Tsikata after the Second Respondent (EC) is done with its cross-examination.
A nine-member Bench, Presided over by Justice William Atuguba is hearing the Petition which is being broadcast live on state-owned Ghana Television (GTV) as well as numerous radio stations in the country.