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Deputy Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon Alhaji Baba Jamal has indicated that the Supreme Court may consider the need to extend the 42 days earmarked for the adjudication of the 2020 election petition.

According to him, the apex court seeking to get to the bottom of the 2020 election petition may not stick to the 42 days if the truth cannot be established by that given period.

Hon. Baba Jamal based his argument on the fact that the NDC's presidential candidate in the 2020 election, former President John Dramani Mahama, has filed two legal processes at the Supreme Court for certain answers from the Electoral Commission (EC) with regard to his presidential election petition.

In his first process - motion for leave to serve interrogatories, Mr Mahama is seeking permission from the Supreme Court to allow him to elicit answers that borders on how the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, arrived at the figures she used in declaring President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the winner of the 2020 presidential poll, reports Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson.

With the second process – request to admit facts, the petitioner wants the EC to either admit or deny certain “facts” with regard to what ensued on December 9, 2020, the day Mrs Mensa, who is the returning officer for the presidential poll, declared President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the President-elect.

Advancing his argument on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Hon. Baba Jamal said that the main concern of the opposition NDC about the 2020 election petition is rather to establish the truth about the presidential election result and not just the petition.

“Whether we have time or not, it is not only the case we want to talk about in court but then we want the truth to come out of the election petition. We want the truth to prevail and if that is what we want then we have to have time for the truth to come out”, he argued.

He was of the opinion that the Supreme Court in the interest of the nation’s peace and progress may consider exceeding the 42 days if the need be to establish the truth in the 2020 Presidential Election results declared by the Electoral Commission (EC).

“So, if it becomes necessary for the Supreme Court to extend the duration for the adjudication of the election petition in order to establish the truth in the case, I am sure that the court will consider it”, he asserted.

“This is because it is not only the case that we are interested in but rather to establish the truth. If it is just the case we want to talk about, we can use only one week to bring finality to the election petition. We simply want the truth to prevail about the 2020 Presidential Election results so that everyone will be satisfied and also instil calm in the country so that people can go about their duties peacefully”, he argued.

“I am sure that if the 42 days stipulated to adjudicate the election petition elapse without knowing the truth in the case, the Supreme Court will extend the days to a point where the truth will be established so that there will be peace”, he hoped.