Former Supreme Court Judge Justice William Atuguba has revealed that the 2012 election petition case was decided through prayer.
“That election petition was decided through prayer by the panel. When the decision came, there was peace; total peace in the country,” the retired judge said at an event organised by the Catholic Church, where he worships, in Accra Wednesday.
He however noted he endured the worst attacks of his life during the 8-month long hearing.
“As for the vilifications, they are unending, and sometimes most painful. You can’t believe that some human beings are capable of diabolical behavior” .
Mr. Atuguba who presided over the election petition trial was accused of bias by the then opposition New Patriotic Party.
The party insisted the then President John Mahama and his NDC party were not the legitimate winners of the 2012 elections.
They prayed the Court to declare their candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo as President with reasons that unpardonable malpractices and irregularities at 10,119 polling stations justified the nullification of 3,931,339 “invalid votes” which, the petitioners argued, would have beaten down John Mahama’s votes and overturned the declared results by the Electoral Commission.
According to the NPP’s pleadings, over-voting occurred at 1,722 polling stations, while voting without biometric verification occurred at 2,020 polling stations.
They claimed presiding officers did not also sign pink sheets at 1,638 polling stations, while the use of duplicate serial numbers on pink sheets affected 8,987 polling stations.
The petitioners further argued that if the results of the 10,119 polling stations were annulled, President Mahama’s votes would have reduced by 2,622,551, which would have, in turn, beaten down the results declared by the Electoral Commission in his favour, to 41.79 per cent.
They said although Nana Akufo-Addo’s votes would have, in like manner, been reduced by 1,233,186, he would have nonetheless secured 56.85 per cent, per their permutations, to cross the 50 per cent mark for victory.
But the nine panel Supreme Court in its ruling read by Justice William Atuguba upheld John Mahama as the constitutionally elected President.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
