<<Print>>

Counsel for the first respondent in the election petition case, Tony Lithur has indicated that the petitioners in the case, had engaged in a �hit and bounce exercise� throughout the course of the prosecution of the case. Presenting his oral address to the panel of judges at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Mr. Lithur noted that the petitioners compiled their evidence for the court adding that if they [petitioners] had followed the laid down procedure, there would have been no election petition case. Mr. Lithur was of the opinion that the petitioners have no case since their appointed polling agents failed to recognize any irregularities during the voting period; if indeed there were any. �If there were any irregularities at those polling stations, of course one would expect that from their training they would know how to report those irregularities�If they observed any of these [irregularities] what did they do? Counsel for the first respondent in the Election Petition case, Tony Lithur also maintained that, on the basis that the petitioners failed to provide evidence to the contrary, President John Mahama won the 2012 Presidential election, without question. �We say that no case has been made for your Lordships to disturb the status quo. President Mahama won the election fair and square and we respectfully ask your Lordships to declare, accordingly.� The Counsel for the first respondent further questioned the evidence the petitioners brought before the Supreme Court saying, �where is the burden of proof? Is it discharged by just waving pink sheets? According to them, the evidence is on the face of the pink sheet and coupled with Dr. Bawumia [second petitioner] mantra; you and I were not there.� According to him, throughout the hearing of the case, the petitioners �sought to limit discussion about this serious exercise to the face of the pink sheets.�