President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday filed his presidential nomination forms at the Electoral Commission (EC) headquarters in Accra to contest the December 7, 2020 general election for four more years in office.
He was acclaimed the presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in June after he emerged as the only person to file for the slot when the party opened nominations.
President Akufo-Addo who was accompanied by Vice Presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and other NPP officials, told EC Chairperson Mrs Jean Mensa that he is not interested in any crooked results of the 7 December 2020 polls and does not want to be a President elected by deceit.
His comments followed vile propaganda by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the NPP was in bed with the EC to rig the December elections in favour of the governing party.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated that he is not interested in any rigged elections and entreated the EC Chairperson and her colleagues to be fair and transparent in the conduct of the December polls.
“We are counting on you to be the arbiter and to hold the scales evenly to all contestants. What the Ghanaian people are expecting is that the election of the 7th of December will be an election that is conducted in peace, in freedom, in security, and in transparency so that the results of the election will reflect the will of the Ghanaian people.
“Elections are not meant to be decided by you or the officials that work for you. You are the referees of the contest.
“The election is supposed to be decided by the people of Ghana and we are hoping that the arrangements that you have put in place will enable the Ghanaian people to manifest their will on the 7th of December and choose the next government of the fourth republic.
“My running mate and I represent a party that, from its very inception in 1947, has been committed to democratic governance.
“We’ve been unwavering in our attachment to democratic values and principles.
“So, for us, the Ghana of today, the multiparty, open democratic system is a matter that responds to our deepest convictions and values.
“The step that is being taken today is a necessary incident in democratic governance.
“So far, the work that you have done has given considerable confidence to the majority of people in our country that in you and in the leadership of the Electoral Commission, we have people who are committed to a free, fair, credible and transparent process.
“We hope that that will mark the conduct of the elections of 7th December. I am not in interested in any crooked results. I do not want to be a president elected by deceit.
“I look forward to a contest that will be fairly conducted, so that if, indeed, by the will of the almighty, I am again, the choice of the Ghanaian people, it will be one that has been freely and openly demonstrated.
“I want to thank you very much for the opportunity this morning and what we all pray for is that may the best man win”, he maintained.
Consummate politician Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo, 76, an astute lawyer and consummate politician, will battle his main opponent and predecessor, Mr John Mahama of the NDC, for a third consecutive time.
The two main contenders met in 2012 and 2016 with them winning one each and in the last election, Nana Akufo-Addo defeated then President Mahama with about 1 million votes.
However, the upcoming election will be President Akufo-Addo’s fourth consecutive presidential electoral contest, having taken part in that exercise in 2008, 2012 and in 2016.
The filing of nomination, which opened on Monday, October 5, will end on October 9, 2020.
NDC won’t accept flawed results
Former President John Dramani Mahama who is the President’s main contender on the NDC ticket, at a recent news conference indicated that the party will not accept the results of the December polls if the process is flawed.
He raised concerns about the credibility of the provisional voter register during exhibition exercise, insisting NDC, “We in the NDC have exhibited restraint at all times in this electoral process”.
“Even now, we are committed to doing so.
“But, let me serve notice once again that we’ll not accept results of a flawed election.
“We will certainly not look on, neither will we shirk our civic responsibility and allow the EC, whether by ill intent or sheer incompetence, to usurp the people’s mandate in the December 7 polls.
“The EC must take immediate steps to rectify and sanitise the register and re-exhibit it, to afford the voting public and all stakeholders, an opportunity to verify their particulars in the voter register before it is finalised”, he said.
