One of the many groups that supported the candidature of President John Dramani Mahama, FOJODRAMA, has dared the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to proceed to court if they have any evidence pointing to malfeasance in the recently held Presidential elections.

The NPP says it has incontrovertible evidence that points to mass rigging in the elections which saw President Mahama emerging as the victor. They have threated to go to court to get quash the Electoral Commission’s declared results.

But FOJODRAMA says: “These allegations of vote rigging, unfounded as they are, have been peddled by our shameless political opponents purely out of malice, with the intent to bring into disrepute the office and person of His Excellency, the President and expose him to public ridicule, disaffection and hatred.”

The group said: “All they are trying to do is to continue to make allegations upon allegations and engage in mudslinging against John Mahama and the NDC, whilst at the same time, avoiding the one thing that the Law challenges them to do: go to Court.”

According to FOJODRAMA, if the NPP fails to proceed to court to make their evidence available, they will be forced to drag the leadership of the party before the courts for defaming the president and the NDC party.

Read the full statement below

FOJODRAMA PRESS STATEMENT. TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES. FOJODRAMA DARES NPP: “GO TO COURT OR WE WILL DRAG YOU TO COURT!"

We of FOJODRAMA have been observing recent developments in the country in respect of the NPP’s rejection of the results of the General Elections of 7th December 2012 with grave concern.

We have been particularly concerned about the shameless efforts made by the NPP and its leaders, to malign and tarnish the image and reputation of the First Gentleman of the land, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, by presenting him as a fraudulent person who is seeking to retain his position as President of Ghana through rigging of elections.

These allegations of vote rigging, unfounded as they are, have been peddled by our shameless political opponents purely out of malice, with the intent to bring into disrepute the office and person of His Excellency, the President and expose him to public ridicule, disaffection and hatred.

The same effect is intended for his party, the National Democratic Congress, its officials, and concerned groups like FOJODRAMA who derive their identity from the President’s personality appeal, integrity of character and the immense respect and goodwill he commands within the borders of this great country, and beyond.

We wish to draw attention to the fact that, contrary to the claims of Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP cohorts, His Excellency John Mahama won the 2012 General Elections fairly and freely, with over 325,000 votes over Nana Addo, winning 8 out of the 10 Regions in the process, whilst his NDC swept 151 out of the 275 seats in Parliament.

We can count not less than 20 reputable media houses who sent out thousands of reporters to virtually all constituencies in the country and witnessed the counting of every single ballot from the close of polls on Friday the 7th through to Saturday and Sunday, all of whom collated results directly from source with some TV stations even going to the extent of broadcasting the entire counting and collation process live.

All of these reputable media houses posted practically the same figures as their provisional results, awaiting the official certified results from the Electoral Commission which turned out to tally with what these media houses had declared earlier.

It is therefore untenable for the NPP to argue that there was any form of collusion between the NDC and the EC to inflate the votes of President Mahama and the NDC, for the simple reason that, the NDC, by necessary implication, must have colluded with all the thousands of reporters and their media houses to arrive at the same figures they all declared in tandem with that of the Electoral Commission.

We will not dwell on the unfortunate mayhem the NPP have incited their supporters to visit on the country, leading to loss of lives and property, in the name of protesting against these very credible and undisputable election results, which we hereby condemn in no uncertain terms, since all these are of public knowledge.

What we want to emphasise here is the apparent intention of the NPP to use up the 21 days allowed by the 1992 Constitution to go to the Supreme Court to present whatever evidence of vote rigging they claim to have, because they just simply do not have any such evidence! All they are trying to do is to continue to make allegations upon allegations and engage in mudslinging against John Mahama and the NDC, whilst at the same time, avoiding the one thing that the Law challenges them to do: go to Court.

It is in the light of this very irritating and irresponsible conduct of the NPP that we at FOJODRAMA hereby dare them to go to the Supreme Court now, to present evidence of vote rigging on the part of our friend John Dramani Mahama and his NDC, failing which, at the expiration of the statutory 21 days, we will see to it that they are dragged to court for defaming our friend the President, the great NDC party and all the entities like FOJODRAMA who derive our identity from the President’s integrity, and force them to put up the so-called evidence of vote rigging or shut up forever.

They better go to court now on their own volition, or we will drag them to court!

Thank you.

LAWYER GEORGE TETTEH-WAYOE Spokesperson, FOJODRAMA.