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Opinions of Sunday, 19 May 2013

Columnist: Tweneboah-Koduah, Nana Akua

NPP Folks Do Not Trust Their Own Witnesses

By Nana Akua Tweneboah-Koduah

It’s very simple: The NPP folks do not trust their own witnesses who attached their affidavits to that of the three “wise men” petitioners who are contesting the results of the 2012 Presidential Election at the Supreme Court.

This is a party which is daily changing the claims in their affidavits by way of re-classification at the blindside of the Supreme Court justices and the respondents, therefore, is it any wonder if they have realized that their own witnesses are no longer credible hence their decision to fight the respondents from cross-examining them?

We have some three NPP people who swore on oath that they were witnesses to some cancellation of election results in their constituencies, therefore the respondents found it prudent to file an application to cross-examine them to determine the truthfulness of what they said in their affidavits.

The three people who the respondents sought to haul into the witness box are the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Freda Prempeh, Berekum East MP, Dr Kwabena Twum Nuamah and a polling station officer at Savelugu in the Northern region.

But Mr Philip Addison mounted a fierce resistance claiming the cross–examination of the three witnesses will waste time. The Supreme Court justices after listening to both parties eventually sided with the NPP by denying the respondents the chance to grill the three witnesses.

The heap of praises that Philip Addison showered on the justices after they sided with him clearly showed how relieved he was; otherwise one cannot fathom why Addison will attempt to prevent his own witnesses from being cross-examined. If I believe in my witnesses and think they are credible to my case, I will be more than willing to bring them to the witness box to buttress my case, but the opposite is what the NPP did. I will not be surprised to hear that Bawumia has re-classified the statements of the witnesses and updated his self-styled analysis hence the decision of the NPP to prevent their own witnesses from being questioned.

The NPP may have heaved a sign of big relief and jubilating but there was something that the President of the Bench, Justice William Atuguba said which was missed by most people. In the United States people call it the fine print. It is normally something minute but very important, and you miss it at your own peril.

Justice Atuguba stated in that fine print that one of the reasons why the justices denied the questioning of the three witnesses is because they have enough evidence to make a firm decision and would not therefore need extra information from the said witnesses to make a determination of the case.

If I am a party to the respondents, I will not worry my head by calling new witnesses because the damage that has been done to the supposed evidence by the petitioners is beyond repairs. In the auto industry, they call it total when a vehicle is damaged beyond repairs.

Dr Mahamadu Bawumia will continue to run away from his own evidence and hide behind re-classification and analysis, but the truth is that many people walking on the streets see him as not a credible witness. Many people view Bawumia as somebody who is cocky and not trustworthy.

There is one thing which continues to baffle me. It is about Bawumia’s self-styled analysis which he continues to comment on. This guy perhaps does not know the difference between hard core evidence and subjective views; therefore Bawumia thinks that his analysis is evidence. Bawumia has to know that there is no way the justices will consider his so-called analysis as evidence that is why they are silent on it all this while.

The NPP will continue to run but they cannot forever run out of the re-classification of their evidence and excuses. They will soon be caught up in their web of lies and deceit. It’s coming and it will come pretty soon.

nakuakoduah@yahoo.com