-To scuttle Mahama’s victory

By A. A. Yayra

Predictably, former President Jerry John Rawlings and wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has jumped into the political boat being rowed by the defeated Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to discredit the just ended election which was won by President John Dramani Mahama.

The former President under whose watch the NPP rejected the 1992 presidential elections and subsequently boycotted the parliamentary polls never called for an investigation into the party’s allegation of rigging but was quick to call for an inquest in to this year’s election that he himself has describe as ‘best ever to be held not only in Ghana’s electoral history but Africa and the world.’ In like manner, his political soul mate, the former first lady and leader of the National Democratic Party have also described the just concluded parliamentary and presidential elections as "419," an infamous moniker for advance fee fraud. According to her, grieving political parties wouldn’t cry foul if they feel they haven’t been cheated in the just ended presidential and parliamentary elections. Based on the series of discrepancies the NPP have shared, Mrs. Rawlings established that it would have been fair on the part of the various heads at the EC to solve the problem with an “open mind” and not through comments such as “you can go to court”.

The NDP at a press conference in Accra Wednesday charged the Electoral Commission to listen to the countless complaints by the NPP, saying that the election won by incumbent President John Dramani Mahama was fraudulent because votes duly recorded for NPP candidate Nana Akufo-Addo were clandestinely converted to the tally of the NDC's John Mahama.

The 2012 election has been rated as free, fair and transparent by the Africa Observer Mission which was led by former President of Nigeria, Olesegun Obasanjo and other local civil society groups like the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers. Many International organizations such as Economic Community for West African State, African Union, European Union, Commonwealth and the United Nations have all recognized the election as free, fair and transparent and have congratulated President elect, John Mahama.

After the declaration of the electoral results Nana Akufo-Addo has openly declared that the party would not accept the results because the electoral figures were doctored to favor incumbent President John Dramani Mahama.

The defeated Presidential Candidate made it known a large crowd of NPP supporters at the Obra Spot on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, that “we would contest the results at the Supreme court. However long it takes, the truth of this election would come out."

The NDC founder, Jerry Rawlings has been at loggerheads with members of his own party since day one. In one of his speeches, the former president noted that the NDC party had lost the 2012 election in the very first week it was sworn into office.

The former president through his harsh criticism of the NDC government gave strong political ammunitions to the NPP, which was well fired at them during the twilight of the 2012 campaign.