EC sacked me from strong room -Rojo

Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, aka Rojo, hird witness, for the petitioner in the ongoing 2020 presidential election petition hearing, told the court yesterday that he was sacked from the National Collation Centre, also known as the ‘strong room’, by the 1st Respondent, Electoral Commission (EC).

This, he added, had never happened before since he started to represent presidential candidates of his party. He claimed that he had always stayed in the strong room for 72 hours.

The witness told the court, while under cross-examination by Counsel for the EC, Justin Amenuvor, that he had left the strong room twice during his stay at the 1st Respondent’s premises. However, Rojo did not tell the court the specific official who threw him out of the strong room.

He said: “I left the strong room when the EC sacked me from the strong room. That was the first time I left the room. The EC sacked me from the strong room. It has never happened before. In previous elections, I stayed there for 72 hours.

He continued that: “I left the strong room the second time to seek audience with the Electoral Commissioner. It was somewhere between 3 O’clock and 4 O’clock.”

At times you talk too much -Bench to witness

During proceedings in court on Monday, February 8, 2021, one of the seven judges hearing the petition cautioned Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo to remember the forum he was and mind how he talks.

According to the Bench, the witness, Mr Mettle-Nunoo, talks more than was expected of him by way of answering questions asked of him by counsel for the two respondents.

In what appeared to be a repetitive occurrence on the part of the witness, the Bench intervened to put the witness on track.

Lead Counsel for the 2nd Respondent, Akoto Ampaw, had referred to paragraph ten of the witness’ statement, where the latter claimed that the officials of the 1st Respondent, Electoral Commission (EC), were applying double standards correcting some summary sheets from the regions, but his colleague, Dr Michael Kpessah Whyte, made no such reference.

Answering the question, Mr Mettle-Nunoo indicated he would not be able know what was in the statement Dr Kpessah Whyte gave.

As he had been doing previously since the cross-examination commenced, Mr Mettle-Nunoo after answering the question moved to say more.

He said: “…In fact, I was watching the fax machines and on many occasions the fax machines were not attended to because no fax was coming (Bench interjects to caution him).

Bench: Please, please, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, at times you talk too much.

Rojo: I am very sorry. I’m a politician and a lecturer that is why it is like that. I’m very sorry.

Bench: Then let me remind you, you are in a courtroom so please mind the way you answer the questions.

During proceedings yesterday, another interesting scene occurred that set the court laughing.

It was revealed that whilst he, Mr Mettle-Nunoo, had gone to see the Chairperson of the 1st Respondent, Jean Adukwei Mensa, he was served tea and biscuits whilst waiting.

This statement from the counsel got the court laughing, but the laughter reached a crescendo when the witness said he was only offered tea without biscuits.

In a move to explain why he left the strong room at the EC headquarters, Mettle-Nunoo told the court he consulted the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, and informed him that he was going to see the Commission’s Chairperson.

He disclosed further that he then made a phone call to Jean Mensa, who invited him to come over to her office.

Counsel for the 1st Respondent, Justin Amenuvor, asked if Rojo left the strong room out of his free will, but the witness maintained that it was a matter of representing his principal by way of doing his officially assigned work, and not about his free will.

The EC Counsel then mentioned that Rojo was in the secretariat for close to three hours waiting for Jean Mensa.

The witness, Mr. Mettle-Nunoo, responded to this, saying: “I was told to wait and it is for that reason that I was shown a reception area to her office, and I kept on waiting until she came.”

Counsel Amenuvor further said to the witness that he was offered some snacks whilst waiting.

“Even whilst there you were offered tea and biscuit, not so?” he quizzed, to the amusement of the court.

Sharply setting the record straight by way of an answer, Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, the third witness of the petitioner, responded: “I was offered tea, I wasn’t offered any biscuit.”

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