December 7 elections was ‘free and fair’- Nana Addo

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has insisted that the December 7, 2020, poll was ‘free and fair’ despite the allegations of irregularities and rigging being trumpeted by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to President Akufo-Addo, the people of Ghana on December 7 gave him “a clear mandate to govern the country for four more years”.

He thus expressed his appreciation to Ghanaians.

“I am thankful to the Ghanaian people and to the Almighty that I have been given a clear mandate to govern the country for four more years and thereby given the opportunity to complete tasks to consolidate some far-reaching measures we have introduced and initiate further changes and adjustments to policies and practices.”

“The constitution demands that we go to the people after four years and ask for a mandate, and we must listen to the people. I said during the election campaign, and it is my fair and passionate view that I should be a president in a fairly conducted elections which I believe in all sincerity the election of December 7 was.”

Owing to the nature of the 8th Parliament, President Akufo-Addo asked Members of Parliament to be more accommodating of each other’s views.

He insisted that such acts would be in the best interests of the nation.

“The next Parliament is not going to be like this one that ends today. I do not suggest that the House might not be busy but the sitting arrangements and the source of decibel levels of sound from the House will certainly be different.”

“The good people of Ghana have spoken and given Parliament an almost equal size of the House, and we have no choice to work with the consequences and the desires of the people. The House will have to be more accommodating of each other’s view and probably find new ways of conducting its affairs in the interest of good governance of our people.”

President Akufo-Addo made this known when he delivered his last state of the Nation address today, Tuesday, January 5, 2021, to Parliament.

Disagreements on the outcome of polls

Results of the election as announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) two days after the polls placed the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the lead with 6.7 million votes representing 51.3 percent while the NDC’s candidate, John Dramani Mahama followed in the second position with 6.2 million votes representing 47.7 percent of valid votes cast.

But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has rejected the results describing it as ‘frivolous”.

He has thus formally filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the outcome of the December 7, 2020, presidential elections.

The lawsuit follows weeks of street protests over alleged voter fraud and irregularities in the just-ended polls.

The suit was filed today, Wednesday, December 30, 2020, by Mr. Mahama’s lawyers following the party’s audit of the 2020 Presidential results “and extensive consultations with the National Executive Committee and Council of Elders of the party”.

In a statement, the NDC said the petition details “serious violations of the 1992 Constitution by the Electoral Commission and its Chairperson and Returning Officer for the Presidential Election, Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa in the conduct of their constitutional and legal responsibility.”

The petition seeks among others, a declaration from the Supreme Court to the effect that, “the purported declaration of the results of the 2020 Presidential Election on the 9th day of December 2020 is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”