Atta Mills must give up – Nana Akufo-Addo
The Daily Graphic / The Independent
Mahama, Goosie, Hagan & Brobby all for Kufuor
NPP, NDC must co-exist in Parliament - Sowu
59.2% voter turn out recorded
Hawa wins Bawku Central seat
Security agents descend on PEACE FM
Apraku denies NDC allegations
NDC set for victory
Kufuor promises unity
Atta Mills must give up – Nana Akufo-Addo
The NPP Member of Parliament elect for Abuakwa has called on the NDC’s presidential candidate, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills to concede defeat and save the nation the extra cost of a second round ballot, reports The Guide.
Nana Akufo-Addo asked Prof. Atta Mills to be patriotic enough to acknowledge the fact that majority of Ghanaians are calling for a change which was manifested in Thursday’s elections.
Contributing to a discussion on Joy FM programm, Supper Morning Show, he contended that 55 per cent of voters cast their votes in the presidential race against Prof. Atta Mills, a vote, which signifies the fact that the people of Ghana want a change from NDC’s 20 years misrule.
He also noted that aside the 15 billion cedis that is required to run the run-off, the NDC is likely to massively exploit state resources to campaign in the second round, which would add to the cost to the nation.
He indicated that in the unlikely event that Prof. Atta Mills even wins the second round, it is going to be difficult for him to be effective when his party is in the minority in parliament.
He said although constitutional provision requires a 50 per cent + 1 winner for the presidency, Article 63 (7) which also offers the other candidate the right to withdraw if he or she so desires.
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Mahama, Goosie, Hagan & Brobby all for Kufuor
The Daily Graphic and The Independent report on leaning of four Ghanaian opposition parties to NPP’s J.A. Kufuor in the next round of elections between him and NDC’s flagbearer, Prof. J.E. Atta Mills.
The Graphic says the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the United Ghana Movement (UGM) have both pledged their support for Mr Kufuor.
The two parties said since the NPP is better placed than the other parties in the opposition to unseat the ruling NDC and manage the country, they have to rally behind the party in its bid to win the second round balloting.
Dr Edward Mahama has therefore called on all his supporters to help effect a change in the political leadership of the country by voting for Mr Kufor in the run-off.
The flagbearer of the UGM, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby said, “the pattern of voting in the recent polls indicated that the supporters of six of the political parties which contested it voted against the ruling party,” adding that the position of the UGM on which party to support is irrevocable, since the party is yearning for “a pair of new political hands to handle the country.”
In its story, the Independent said four of the presidential candidates for the December 7 elections in a rare display of unity have declared their intention to campaign for John Agyekum Kufuor in the presidential re-run scheduled to take place before the end of the year.
The paper names UGM’s Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, PNC’s Dr Edward Mahama, NRP’s Mr Goosie Tanoh and Prof. George Hagan of the CPP to have publicly stated their support for Mr Kufuor.
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NPP, NDC must co-exist in Parliament - Sowu
Squadron Leader Clend Sowu, Member of Parliament for Anlo, has called for active co-operation among parties in Parliament with a view to developing and sustaining consensus in the supreme national interest.
“Whether it is Professor John Atta Mills or Mr John Kufuor who would win the presidential run-off, new President is bound to have difficulties in getting policies, programmes and other measures through in the new Parliament because of lack of a clear majority by any of the parties,” Graphic quoted the MP who was defeated in Thursday’s elections as saying in Accra on Monday.
He said in the face of this development, it is only proper and feasible that issues of national concern are critically and dispassionately discussed and some consensus forged, so that at the end of the day, the true national interest would be reflected.
According to him the country is currently at a critical stage where all parties must unite because without that, the hardships being experienced will never be over.
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59.2% voter turn out recorded
The Ghanaian Times reports the voter turnout in Thursday's election averaged at 59.2 per cent as compared to the average 77 per cent recorded in 1996, giving a 17.8 per cent decrease.
Out of 10.67 million registered voters nationwide, 6.46 million turned out to vote at 20,112 polling stations while in 1996 out of 9.27 million registered voters, 7.188 million turned out to vote.
Just as in 1996, 199 seats were contested for in this year's parliamentary elections instead of 200.
One seat out of the 200 was not contested four years ago due to a legal battle in Afigya Sekyere East constituency. This year's was however not contested because of the sudden death of the NPP's parliamentary candidate for Asutifi South, Proferssor Philip Adjapong.
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Hawa wins Bawku Central seat
Madam Hawa Yakubu of the NPP has been declared winner of the Bawku Central parliamentary seat in Thursday's elections.
She beat her closest rival, Hajia Fati Seidu, of the NDC by 22,335 votes to 21,461.
The CPP's Yakubu Salifu Kundna polled 451, PNC's Abdul Karim Yussuf, 1,239, Hadi Melaya, UGM, 55 and Amadu Issaka Barima, NRP, 281 votes.
The results were withheld following an outbreak of violence, which left 10 dead and 26 others seriously wounded.
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Security agents descend on PEACE FM
The Crusading Guide reports that a combined team of armed soldiers and policemen last Thursday, December 7, descended on the premises of Peace FM - an Accra private radio station - when it announced that some NDC supporters had allegedly organized some foreigners numbering 9 to vote in the general elections.
Speaking to the paper, Hon. Darko Mensah, MP for Okaikoi North Constituency in Accra, said some NDC supporters had hired an Urvan vehicle and put some foreigners, believed to be Togolese, on board and were allegedly voting from one polling station to another.
The presence of security agents at Fadama, in the constituency prevented the hired voters from going ahead with their intention, however, another batch were found out at 'Fish Pond', also in the constituency, after they had already voted.
The announcement by Peace FM brought a heavy presence of the military and the police, who's leader accused the station of spreading false alarm that should have in any case been reported to the police.
Some workers of the station explained that some "machomen" were following the alleged illegal voters in an apparent effort to lynch them and so the only way to save their lives was to alert the police through the airwaves.
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Apraku denies NDC allegations
Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, NPP Member of Parliament for Offinso and Minority Spokesman for Finance, has reacted to the false allegations, lies and the misinformation campaign orchestrated against him by President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings for political purposes, the Statesman reports.
In a statement issued to the press, Dr Apraku referred to a November 27 story carried by The Pioneer in which Mrs Rawlings claimed he was brought over from the United States to Ghana by the PNDC in 1987 and subsequently dismissed for non-performance.
He dismissed the claim as, "absolutely baseless and without an iota of truth," explaining that he returned to Ghana in 1991 and not in 1987 and his travel here was financed by the International Office of Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency set up to facilitate the return of "high professionals" to their home countries.
He furthered that no contact whatsoever was made with anybody in the PNDC at the time of his application to the Ministry of Agriculture for the position of Deputy Director for Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
He said President Rawlings' claim that he was fired from the Ministry was similarly untrue as he was denied the advertised post he applied from abroad and rather appointed Head of Policy Analysis and Evaluation.
That position was far below his training and coupled with the bureaucracies and the slow pace of work in the ministry, he was convinced that he did not belong to the sector, the paper said.
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NDC set for victory
The Ghanaian Democrat writes that the Electoral Commission (EC) has asked Professor John Evans Atta Mills and Mr J.A. Kufuor to get themselves ready within three weeks for a battle, when Ghanaians who form the electorate will decide which of the two will go to the Castle, the seat of government.
EC will need 15 billion cedis for the run-off.
Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, speaking at a press conference said he derived his strength from the constitutional provision that mandated him to call for the second round between the two leading contestants in last Thursday's elections.
In a reaction, the General Secretaries of the NDC and the NPP, Alhaji Huudu Yahaya and Mr Dan Botwe, have both indicated the acceptance of EC's decision by their parties.
Alhaji Huudu Yahaya said his party cannot challenge the constitutional provisions but gave the assurance that the NDC will work harder this time to win the second round.
Mr Dan Botwe indicated that the NPP was going to prepare fully for the second battle.
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Kufuor promises unity
The NPP flagbearer, Mr J.A. Kufuor, is reported by the NPP News, as promising an all-inclusive government to tackle the problems besetting the country when he wins the presidency.
Stressing his pledge during a call on him by Mr Goosie Tanoh, flagbearer of the National Reform Party (NRP), at the party headquarters in Accra on Friday, Mr Kufuor emphasized the need to put Ghana first in all things.
"I will come out with a government that will be an all-inclusive to reduce the tension that has engulfed the country under the NDC and set the country on an even keel", he said.
He reportedly, noted the abundance of remarkable and proven talents in Ghana who are committed to the national interest and promised to harness them all into a solid, dynamic and problem solving team.
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