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Opinions of Friday, 10 May 2013

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

The More Tsatsu Tsikata tries, the More he

...Performs Woefully, I must Confess

In my estimation, Lawyer (Professor) Tsatsu Tsikata has performed abysmally. Out of all the three Lead Counsels for the respondents, he is the worst one when it comes to cross-examining Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the star witness and the 2nd petitioner in the case.

The lead Counsels for the respondents (President Mahama, the Electoral Commission and the NDC) are in the corresponding order of Tony Lithur, Quarshie-Idun and Tsatsu Tsikata.

On the other hand, the Lead Counsel for the petitioners (Nana Akufo Addo, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey) is Phillip Addison.

While Tony Lithur and Quarshie-Idun realised they were going in circles asking the same question over and over again, and getting the same answer from Dr Bawumia no matter how they twisted the question, they honourably ended their cross-examination. Both of them carried out their cross-examinations in five days; three days by Tony Lithur and two by Quarshie-Idun.

However, unlike his colleagues, Tsatsu Tsikata, alias Mr Quote Quote, has as at writing, oddly taken seven days. He is still not satisfied but would want to go further even though his entire same question reframed differently gets the same response from Dr Bawumia. The difference between the three counsels for the respondents is, as the first two knew when to stop, the third one does not.

Mr Tsatsu Tsikata has all along been carried away by the false notion that he is the best or the most outstanding legal luminary in Ghana who must in all situations deliver results to match his standing in the society. No matter the circumstance, he is obliged to go all extra miles to achieve favourable results. It is only a fool who does not know when to end a pursuit when enough has become enough.

What has Tsatsu Tsikata achieved in the end after all his bravado? He is now alleging that the respondents never received 11,842 pink sheets as is alleged to have been presented to them by the petitioners. After all his seven-day empty cross-examinations of Dr Bawumia, look where he has taken us to, calling for the audit of the pink sheets to ascertain they are not up to 11,842.

I do not still see any sense in his plea for the pink sheets to be audited just to prove a bizarre point that they are short of the number as claimed by the petitioners. This is absolute rubbish.

The essence of the suit is to establish whether or not there were irregularities, malpractices, omissions and commissions during the 2012 elections and if there were, do they constitute statutory violations. If they do, how did they impact the final results and the subsequent declaration of the winner?

Presuming the respondents were given less than the 11,842, what has that to do with the alleged violations entailed? They could have been given say 8,000 as they (respondents) claimed some time ago, does that take away any element of credible evidence that can overturn the results or not, if there is that possibility? Are there any violations in those given to them? That is all what Ghanaians are interested in hearing and if there were, how did they affect the results? Anything short of this will be absolute nonsense intended to buy time or unnecessarily delay the case.

Tsatsu Tsikata, struggling as he is, trying to score a point to justify his much hyped performance as the most eminent lawyer in Ghana, keeps dramatizing in court to the annoyance of all without achieving his aim.

The Supreme Court had better draw the curtain on his cross-examination for the case to move forward.

GOD has revealed to one KOFI BASOAH that Nana Akufo Addo would win the election but the NDC would steal it from him. This revelation occurred two weeks to the Election Day (7 December 2012). He therefore directed that NPP remained RESOLUTE to reverse the results hence, all the court case with that attendant circus by Tsatsu as we see. Tsatsu’s efforts are simply “much ado about nothing” GOD has already spoken and so shall it be!

Rockson Adofo