Convener of the Fixing the country Movement, Ernest Owusu Bempah has said former President John Dramani Mahama has no evidence that the 2020 general elections were rigged in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Mahama had alleged when he addressed the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah, recently, as part of his Thank You tour of the Western Region that “More than one million extra ballot papers were printed, which the EC claimed happened by mistake but on the day of the elections, some of the more than one million extra ballot papers had already been secretly thumb-printed in favour of the NPP.”
The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress 9NDC) in last year’s elections added “And, so, all these things dented the credibility of the polls and caused an embarrassment”,
But a press statement reacting to his comments issued by Mr Ernest Owusu Bempah said “Mr Mahama is still yelling, alleging and touting voter fraud. Strangely, he couldn’t allege to the courts, but continue to be all talk and NO PROOF and yet we are told to swallow his unfounded conspiracy theory.Again, If Mr Mahama claims the presence of the military made the EC to declare false results, why didn’t he tender this in his evidence when he went to court?
“To the extent that the Supreme Court described Mr Mahama’s witnesses as ‘Fanciful Witnesses’ speak volumes. Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, while some would speak angrily of this movement as being overly critical of Mr Mahama, Ghanaians do not deserve this man as our former President. We can state without any scintilla of doubt that the greatest calamity that has ever befallen Ghana is Mr Mahama occupying the highest office of president.
“No former President worth the office he once occupied will chart the course Mr Mahama is charting. As a matter of fact, Mr Mahama is showing gross incompetence even in opposition. His utterances and baseless rants highlight the weaknesses in our democracy and bring into contempt the office he once occupied. We’re fully aware that this whole act has always been about Mahama himself while pretending to be about others.”
Below is his full statement…
Statement by Fixing The Country Movement At A Press Conference Held On Thursday 21/10/2021 In Accra On John Mahama’s Recent Public Outbursts Ladies and Gentlemen of the print and electronic media, we are honoured for your promptness to this press conference. We are seizing this opportunity to salute you all.
Once again for the umpteenth time, the twice-defeated candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama is back in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Mr Mahama’s post election antics are getting pronounced, and he’s proving beyond all doubt that he is – and always has been a national and international embarassment.
The recent outbursts from Mr Mahama would have pass without notice but judging from his previous eccentricity, this issue has been elevated to the front pages of public discourse.
Speaking on Global FM in Ho during his “Thank You” tour to the Volta Region, the former president said the 2020 elections were manipulated in NPP’s favour.
Mr Mahama claims the deployment of military personnel to collation centres forced some electoral officers to declare results in favour of the governing New Patriotic Party.
Indeed, in Mr Mahama’s warped mind, the 2020 election was not transparent, as touted by the Electoral Commission.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, the other day, it was Mr Mahama’s claim that the EC thumb-printed 1million ballot papers for the ruling NPP. And before then, Mr Mahama had gone to town on the media, the Judiciary and the National House of chiefs.
According to Mr Mahama, the entire nation is against him because all of us here, including you the media are a sell out. Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, isn’t it interesting to note that the entire country is against Mr Mahama as he claims? This is the same man who admonished political parties in 2016 to leave the EC alone to do its work. Again in 2012, Mr Mahama had no difficulty siding, and speaking for the Electoral Commission.
Indeed, the memory of Mr Mahama’s strong faith in the integrity and credibility of the EC ahead of the 2016 elections still lives on.Mr. Mahama on November 18, 2016 as reported by the Daily Graphic, emphatically pointed out that the Electoral Commission cannot rig elections.
Reacting to purported claims by his opponents at the time that the EC was preparing to possibly rig the election in his favor, Mr. Mahama said “Some of them have gone to the extent of saying the Electoral Commission is preparing to rig the elections for John Mahama. What absurd nonsense?”
He noted that “Ghana’s Electoral system is one of the best in the world. Note my words, not in Africa , in the world because it has inherent instruments for guaranteeing its integrity.”
What has changed, Mahama?
Apparently, everything with the EC was perfect under Mr Mahama’s reign, but not under the Akufo-Addo regime? At this point, even the most fanatical supporters of Mr Mahama are getting bewildered. The sheer illogicality of these commentaries by Mr Mahama is really nauseating.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, were we not in this country when Mr Mahama went to the Supreme Court for redress over his claims of Electoral malfeasance against the EC? What was the outcome of the Supreme court case? Is it not interesting to note that during the election petition hearing, Mr Mahama and his witnesses were asked several times by the judges to produce their own collated results and they were found wanting?
Mr Mahama couldn’t produce a distinct figure from the pink sheets in order to challenge what was declared by the Electoral Commission and yet he has continue spouting electoral fraud.
One would have thought that the embarrassment Asiedu-Nketia suffered in the hands of the EC lawyers with regards to the strict prove he was subjected to will change anything.
But Mr Mahama is still yelling, alleging and touting voter fraud. Strangely, he couldn’t allege to the courts, but continue to be all talk and NO PROOF and yet we are told to swallow his unfounded conspiracy theory.Again, If Mr Mahama claims the presence of the military made the EC to declare false results, why didn’t he tender this in his evidence when he went to court? To the extent that the Supreme Court described Mr Mahama’s witnesses as “Fanciful Witnesses” speak volumes. Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, while some would speak angrily of this movement as being overly critical of Mr Mahama, Ghanaians do not deserve this man as our former President. We can state without any scintilla of doubt that the greatest calamity that has ever befallen Ghana is Mr Mahama occupying the highest office of president.
No former President worth the office he once occupied will chart the course Mr Mahama is charting. As a matter of fact, Mr Mahama is showing gross incompetence even in opposition. His utterances and baseless rants highlight the weaknesses in our democracy and bring into contempt the office he once occupied. We’re fully aware that this whole act has always been about Mahama himself while pretending to be about others.
The founder of the NDC, former President Rawlings saw through Mahama’s antics and blew the lid off the 2024 agenda. It has always being about Mahama and his 2024 comeback. Mr Mahama is just clutching on straw and hoping to create a religion of conspiracy to undermine our democracy & ideas that challenge his politics.
He needs to be told in plain language that touting these unfounded claims of election fraud without willingness to follow the constitutional procedures is as horrible as Adolf Hitler’s propaganda stunts.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is said that the leopard cannot change its spots, nor can the tiger change its stripes, but it is time for Mr Mahama to pack it in and get ready for the internal politics that awaits him.
Signed;
Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah Convener- Fixing The Country Movement
Source: Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana