Election petition not for my selfish veep ambition - Bawumia

The key witness in the election petition hearing, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has rebuffed suggestions by the governing Party’s Lead Counsel that his challenge of the 2012 presidential results is borne out of his parochial yearn to be Vice President.

Dr. Bawumia, who was the 2012 Vice Presidential candidate in the last general election, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday May 8, 2013 during cross examination by Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata that: “I’m not seeking votes to be annulled to become Vice President”, adding that: “We are seeking for this country’s democracy to be put in its proper place and for elections to be held [properly]”.

Mr. Tsikata had suggested to him that Dr. Bawumia, dishonestly and selectively, together with his Presidential Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, ignored the same alleged irregularities in the party’s strongholds, in order to deceive the Court into advancing their parochial agenda to annex the Presidency.

Per Dr. Bawumia’s analysis, over 55 percent of President Mahama’s votes must be annulled while in the case of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, about 28 percent of votes must be annulled if the court grants the petitioners’ reliefs.

Dr. Bawumia noted that there appeared to be a skew in the number and percentage of votes to be annulled as far as President John Mahama’s votes were concerned “because the irregularities and malpractices were so high in those areas that we found those irregularities that inured to his benefit”.

The case, which is in its 13th day of hearing, has been adjourned to Thursday, May 9, 2013.