General News of Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Source: mynewsgh.com

Madam Jean Mensa’s behavior demeans women – Odike fires

Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

Founder and disqualified 2020 flagbearer of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike has attacked the demeanor and the work of Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Mrs. Jean Mensa.

According to Mr. Odike, the work of the EC Chairperson has brought great disrespect to the entire womanhood in Ghana so far as the declaration of the just ended presidential election results is concerned.

Jean Mensa's behavior demeans women in Ghana. If I am given an opportunity to vote a woman into any office, I will reconsider my decision”, the UPP founder bemoaned in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com on Kumasi-based Abusua FM.

Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike’s description comes after the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) rejected the 2020 presidential election results announced by the Chairperson on behalf of the Commission.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike told host, Kojo Marfo that, Madam Jean Mensa connived with the other Commissioners to rig the polls for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

President Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won Monday’s general election with 6,730,413 representing 51.595% while his main contender John Mahama of the NDC had 6,214,889 representing 47.366% according to a declaration by the EC.

But flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) John Mahama has rejected the outcome of the polls insisting they were characterized by fraud for which reason he is not conceding defeat.

“I think that in the interest of the more than 6million people who voted for me, I must uphold our democracy and hold the Electoral Commission to a higher standard and hold this government to a higher standard in terms of our democracy. The way President Akufo-Addo and the EC have conducted this election is a dent on our democratic credentials as a government. And so with my principles as a democrat, I can’t be seen to be sweeping it under the carpet and letting it go.”

He added: “I think that we must bring closure to this by seeing exactly where the issues are. If an independent audit is done by the EC, they’ll bring somebody in to crunch the numbers do an independent audit why not, I’ll be the first person to concede and walk away. But as long as that is not done and I know that there was a deliberate attempt to subvert the will of the people in favor of the incumbent, it will be wrong for me in terms of our democratic practices to just leave it because we’ll not learn the lessons of this election. I think we must learn the lessons of this election so that we don’t repeat it in future.”