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The laborious manner in which Tsatsu Tsikata, lead counsel for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), is cross-examining a star witness in the presidential election petition, yesterday attracted what looked like another subtle protest from the nine-member panel of Supreme Court Justices hearing the case. The style of Mr. Tsikata�s cross-examination of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes to ask sets of questions, was first brought to the court�s attention by Phillip Addison, lead counsel for the petitioners, who said it was a tactics adopted by the NDC counsel just to delay the trial. Since Mr. Tsikata took over from the Electoral Commission�s counsel, James Quarshie-Idun, he had used two and half days in cross-examining Dr. Bawumia, who is the Second Petitioner, but it appears he is not going to complete the exercise anytime soon. The judges expressed similar concern about the style of cross-examination to Tony Lithur counsel for President John Dramani Mahama, when they felt he was not helping to make any progress in the matter. Yesterday, for instance, there were about five sets of questions on pink sheets divided into lots, which were repeatedly asked throughout the proceedings by Mr. Tsikata. Mr. Tsikata would ask Dr. Bawumia to identify sets of pink sheets after which he would ask whether the sheets had been duplicated and once the witness answered the question, he would find out if NPP agents signed those documents and when the answer was given, he would ask if the petitioner�s party agents raised protest at the polling stations or collation centres and once the answer was given, he would ask the witness to announce the results on the face of the pink sheets. As the whole process became repetitive, boring and time wasting, Mr. Addison cut in to complain about Mr. Tsikata�s style. Addison: My lords, we have just been served with another set of pink sheets under the heading �Pink Sheets�. I don�t understand why we are being served in lots, if you have a thousand or two thousand duplicate sheets, I don�t see why he cannot compile a list of a thousand duplicates and let�s deal with it in one stretch. This business of bringing it in lots, I do not understand what purpose it�s supposed to serve. Apart from that, the questions that he keeps repeating; five questions can apply to all these lots�This is a very tiring process that we are going through here and it�s intended to delay, that�s all that it is. Justice Atuguba: My observation is that we ourselves have seen it, but unless we misunderstood it, it seems the exhibits are dealing with different categories. Counsel (Tsikata): My lords, I have indicated that the difficulty in trying to assist in expedition has meant that we have different people putting lists together as they go through the pink sheets. We are trying to be helpful, and so different people are putting the list together and as the lists are completed, we bring them forward. If we are going to do the whole list before we present all of them, I think that will take even more time. Justice Atuguba: In that case, you prepare your Bills of Laden (according to the categories) before we come to sit, then it goes fast. But when you come here and your sorters have to do adhoc sorting.