General News of Friday, 7 December 2012

Source: Joy Online

"Let people with valid IDs vote; verification or not - Prez Mahama

The above is what President Mahama appealed to the Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Afari Djan to do on December 7th, 2012 and Tsatsu for whatever reason brought this evidence to court in the form of an exhibit to defend his client, the NDC. Was it a good strategy? I will come back to this point and show that Tsatsu is throwing Mahama and the EC under the bus in defending the NDC and how dumb it was for the NDC to join this case.

The long awaited titanic match between two brainies is at long last here and the genius Academician Lawyer with spotty Court room record versus the World reknown Economist starting to look like a mismatach despite the theatrics and histrionics of Tsatsu who seems to be confused of where he is. The day did not start that well for Tsatsu when he tried to ask a question based on an original pink sheet which is not evidence and Mr Addison objected on the grounds that, if he Tsatsu wants to introduce an original pink sheet paper in, he should wait and do it when he is leading his own witness in Evidence and Tsatsu blurted out that, the objection was frivolous. The objection by Mr Addison was sustained by Judge Atuguba and this 'genius' of a lawyer conceded an early goal by dropping the ball in his own net. Folks, this goal was nothing because it got worse. Later in the day when the Biometric verification problem was visited upon, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata made his biggest mistake of the day when he introduced an exhibit and asked Dr Bawumiah to read.

"He presents another exhibit quoted from Myjoyonline.com in which the first respondent President John Mahama was asking the EC to allow voters to vote without being verified because there were challenges with the verification machine."

The said exhibit contained this message.

"President John Dramani Mahama has asked the Electoral Commission to allow voters with valid Voter ID cards cast their votes even if the verification machine fails to recognize them.He says it is unfair to disenfranchise some people because their identity cannot be verified by a piece of equipment. The President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Sigri, told Joy News his wife and many of his subjects had not been able to vote despite the fact that their names are in the register.Tamale chief, Mr. Alhassan Abdulai, speaking through his secretary, Abdulai Mohammed Rashad, said many residents had poured into his palace, appealing to him to appeal to the EC Chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, to intervene to ensure that they were not disenfranchised."

What is the point Mr Tsikata was trying to prove by introducing this damaging news report that bolsters the Petitioners claim that, Dr Afari Djan was prevailed upon by the acting President at the time, Mr Mahama to influence him Djan to relax the electoral laws and allow people to vote who could not pass the Biometric verification?

Here, Tsatsu showed who he is really defending, the NDC wich does not need to be defended in the first place because they inserted itself in this case and by so doing, their lawyer has been forced to throw President Mahama and the EC under the bus. Now people watching and listening to the proceedings in court have been reminded that, President Mahama and some Northern Chiefs put pressure on the Electoral Commissioner to allow some people to vote in Northern Regions and the rest of the country who were not qualified to vote and this is for what? That NDC did not do anything wrong? This is a case of pointing one finger at your opponent when two of them are pointing to yourself. We now know that, Mahama and the EC colluded and agreed to allow people to vote without being verified all thanks to the 'genius' of a lawyer Tsatsu.

As if Tsatsu has not done enough damage to the Respondents, he later in the day engaged in number bantering with Master of numbers, Dr Bawumiah and this did not go well for him either.

"Tsikata presents another set of pink sheets and has a little banter with the witness over a figure. The witness says the figure looks more like 73 but with a 0 that has been cancelled in between the 7 and the 3. Tsikata says it may appear to be 703. Bawumia says in that case the the number 703 which represents the total ballots cast will be more than the total number of registered voters."

Maybe Tsatsu never heard of the advice that, sometimes it is better to be quiet that to open your mouth and show the whole world what a j..k you are.

"Tsatsu attempts to fire on but in a rather humorous note, Presiding Judge Atuguba calls for an adjournment saying "at this juncture the verification machine has broken down." Court adjourns to Tuesday."

Yes he attempted to fire on a smoke sputtering engine that was not going anywhere.

Justice Sarpong

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)