Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), will go into Election 2024 with their own referee.
According to the NDC Flagbearer, there’s a need to ensure a transparent electioneering process to maintain peace and prevent civil unrest, as seen in other African countries.
Speaking at a public lecture at Christian Service University in Kumasi as part of the university’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, Mr Mahama called on all stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission (EC), to ensure that the upcoming December 7, 2024, Presidential and Parliamentary elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
The lecture was themed “Sustainability of Democracy in Africa: The Ghanaian Experience.”
“Disputed elections, as witnessed in other African countries, have triggered civil unrest resulting in loss of human lives. So, elections have the potential to disrupt peace, which is why we emphasize that elections must be transparent, free, and fair.”
He underscored the need for an impartial and non-partisan electoral commission, citing the respected legacy of former Electoral Commissioner Dr Afari Gyan.
“Dr. Afari Gyan was the electoral commissioner with several deputies, and he conducted several elections. Up till today, Dr Afari Gyan is respected as one of the best electoral commissioners in the whole of Africa. Charlotte Osei was appointed by me as the electoral commissioner, yet in the elections that she supervised, I lost. This points to the need for fairness and non-partisanship. Up till today, the NPP describes the election as the best and fairest election that has ever been held.”
“There were several issues raised and reiterated about the Electoral Commission not being as neutral as expected. Indeed, it must be true that this government concocted reasons to remove three electoral commissioners and replaced them with people of their choice who are known for their NPP credentials,” he said.
He expressed concerns about the current composition of the EC, pointing out that individuals with clear party affiliations had been appointed.
“People who were patrons of TESCON are today sitting as electoral commissioners. If you go to the Bono region and ask about one of the deputy commissioners, Appiagyei, he was their elections director, IT director, and a communication member. Who do you expect such a person to be neutral in his work?” he questioned.
Mahama accused the EC of bias against the NDC, noting that a commissioner had publicly described the NDC as the most serious existential threat to Ghana’s democracy. He questioned the ability of such individuals to conduct free and fair elections.
“This Electoral Commission has demonstrated that the commissioner cannot be neutral in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. A commissioner said the NDC is the most serious existential threat to Ghana’s democracy, and he is still a commissioner. How do you expect somebody like that to conduct a free and fair election? So, despite the adversity, the Electoral Commission will do its best to prove me wrong in this election.”
He assured that the NDC is not asking for the elections to be rigged in their favour but simply for a fair process that reflects the will of the Ghanaian people.
“We are just asking them to conduct a free and fair election for the country and let the will of Ghanaians prevail. That’s all we are looking for. But as Azumah Nelson said, this time we are going into the elections with our own referee. We will knock down the NPP to the level that the Electoral Commission can never overturn the results for the NPP,” Mahama assured.
Source: Ekow Annan || newsalertgh.com