A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communications team, Hamza Suhuyini, has rejected claims that the absence of Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako's lead counsel, Samuel Atta-Akyea during the delivery of judgment compromised the legal process, insisting that, under a Supreme Court practice direction, the lawyer was under no obligation to make oral submissions before the ruling was delivered.

Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Suhuyini argued that even if lawyer Atta Akyea had been present in court, the judge would not have been required to hear oral submissions on the pending motion because written submissions had already been filed in accordance with the applicable practice direction.

"Even if Atta Akyea was in court, by this practice direction, the judge was under no obligation to hear him orally speak to the motion," Suhuyini said, explaining that the judgment date had already been fixed and the court was expected to determine the pending motions before delivering its ruling.

According to him, the lawyer's absence was therefore "immaterial" because the judge would have proceeded in exactly the same manner regardless of whether counsel was physically present.

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"The judgment date had been set, and his motions were before the judge, and the judge would dispense with those motions and proceed to deliver judgment. So, even if he was in court, he wouldn't have been called upon to make submissions on this particular matter," he stated.

Suhuyini further dismissed assertions that Wontumi was denied legal representation, describing the allegation as false.

"So, it is not true that Wontumi was not legally represented. That is a lie," he said, adding that senior lawyer Alexander Afenyo-Markin "ought to know better" than to make claims that, in his view, undermine the credibility of the judiciary.

He maintained that junior lawyers from Wontumi's legal team were present in court and that representation by junior counsel at the High Court is legally permissible.

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