By Margaret Jackson

April 22, 2013

The NPP teeming supporters who have been waiting in the wings to celebrate Dr Mahamadu Bawumia who is in the dock under cross-examination by Mr Tony Lithur, the counsel representing the first respondent, President John Mahama, in the on-going challenge against the 2012 Presidential Election are cringing with anxiety due to the antics being portrayed by Bawumia.

Gradually, many viewers are concluding that either Bawumia who has resorted to giving commentary to back any simple question asked does not understand court proceedings, or has not been properly briefed by his counsels or is deliberately weaving and dancing around questions just to emerge from the hole he suddenly finds himself in.

You will not be amused if you had the chance to watch the court proceedings on Monday April 22, as Bawumia reduced himself to a laughing stock on many occasions that he gave some answers to questions posed by Tony Lithur which clearly made Bawumia look like someone groping in darkness.

The way Dr Bawumia has been touted by the NPP as being more than ready to mesmerise the NDC team pales to what we all saw on our screens. For Bawumia to state that the Electoral Commission (EC) created polling stations on voting day made many people shake their heads in disbelief. For instance many are wondering if the EC created 22 ‘ghost’ polling stations on Election Day, as being alleged by Bawumia how on earth the NPP knew those stations for them to send their own polling agents.

Bawumia again made many people cringe when he could not even vouch for the integrity of the NPP’s own polling agents as he seemed to suggest that they did a lousy job or did not know why they were hired as watch-dogs at the polling stations. He stated emphatically that if you have agents at the polling stations that do not mean you cannot demand justice if there are irregularities, clearly pitching that he probably does not know the role of the agents at the polling stations on voting day.

Clearly the evidence presented by the NPP has many flaws which are setting many tongues wagging. One could not fathom why Bawumia who is trying to prove that the EC did a lousy job by making a lot of mistakes will himself admit to making mistakes in his evidence gathering.

Can you believe that Bawumia added a parliamentary pink results sheet to the pile of presidential pink results sheets they presented as evidence? That was unbelievable and very shocking!

You will not want to be Bawumia who resorts to talking points whenever a simple question which demands a simple yes or no answer is thrown at him. And the way some justices have not been happy but compelled Bawumia to strictly provide a yes or no answer other than weaving and dancing around the questions clearly demonstrates how Bawumia finds himself caged.

Bawumia probably needs better coaching because he is portraying his deficiency big time, and that puts a dent on his credentials and credibility. If people begin to question your inability to answer just simple questions, but has to put a spin on every single question, then you have a big problem on hand.

Bawumia is not yet done with his cross-examination and believe me he would be turned upside down and inside out by the time they are done with him. His struggles with the first counsel of the first respondent are the least of his problems on hand. He will be thoroughly grilled and no stone will be left unturned if the respondents believe he is either deceiving the court or has something to hide in his sleeves.

The battle begin……

magjackson80@yahoo.com http://majjacks80.blogspot.com