FULL TEXT: How EC Chair Jean Mensah declared Akufo-Addo winner

graphic.com.gh Politics Dec - 09 - 2020 , 20:26 10 minutes read

SPEECH BY, MRS JEAN MENSA, CHAIRPERSON OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION ON DECLARATION OF 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RESULTS

To God be all the glory, great things He has done, and greater things He will do. On behalf of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, I welcome you to a significant moment in our country’s history: The Declaration of the Results of the 2020 Presidential Elections. We had aimed at delivering the results 24 hours after the Election, but as the saying goes, man proposes, but God disposes. We encountered a few challenges, including unexpected rains which halted voting in some polling stations leading to a few delays coupled with the usual requests for recounting in some polling stations. We regret the anxiety caused and ask that you bear with us. We hope that in subsequent elections we will be able to live up to our timeline. I indicate that this is a historic election because this is the first time that the Election day went by without major incidents and occurrences. It is no wonder that the BBC described this year’s election as “boring” - a testament to the seamless, incident-free process that we witnessed yesterday.

As a Commission, we thank the Almighty God for his faithfulness and for how far he has brought us. We recognize without a shadow of doubt, that we could not have come this far without Him. As Proverbs 21:31 states- “A horse is prepared for battle, but victory comes from God.” We remain eternally grateful and thankful to God for the victories he has wrought on our behalf.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it is heartwarming to stand before you today to declare the results of the 2020 General Election. We have come far. We started this year with hope and promise - poised to reform and overhaul the core and critical aspects of our work, and the very system on which credible, transparent elections are hinged. Here, I am referring to our Biometric Voter Management System. We subjected this process to a robust and rigorous procurement process, even then as, from the very onset, we faced stiff opposition from within and without.

As if that was not enough, we were hit by the COVID-19 when we least expected it. In the face of this, we remained resolute, determined to deliver credible, transparent and peaceful elections in Ghana. We persevered throughout the lockdown to establish strong and efficient systems and processes that would stand the test of time.

With hindsight, we used the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown to our benefit. We were able to reflect on our policies, systems and structures, and to implement reforms within our institution, promoting competitive procurement processes, as well as efficient, transparent electoral processes.

This strategy involved our entire staff, who all worked tirelessly behind the scenes, burning the midnight oil to achieve the results we witness today. Our mantra was that while the country may be on lockdown, as a Commission, we had to keep moving forward to achieve the enormous tasks ahead of us.

And so distinguished ladies and gentlemen, here we are today. The results are evident for all to see. Indeed, hard work, determination and focus, coupled with God’s grace has paid off.

Today we have succeeded in reforming our entire Biometric Voter Management System, procuring and deploying robust equipment and devices including the Biometric Verification Devices, the biometric registration kits, a user-friendly software to govern the entire Biometric voter registration and verification system, and a brand-new data centre amongst others - all of which went through an international competitive tendering process.

Today, we can all be proud of a brand-new Biometric Voter Register that reflects unique individuals who are eligible to vote. With determination and focus, we were able to prepare a Register that recorded seventeen million and twenty-seven thousand, six hundred and forty-one (17,027,641), eligible voters, in just 38 days in the rainy season of Ghana. Thankfully, the just-ended election did not witness issues of missing names, misplacement of polling stations among others.

Again, we can be proud of the fact that for the first time in our history, the election was funded without donor assistance. I can assure you that we put our resources to prudent use.

Furthermore, we can be proud of the fact that more than 95% of our procurement for the 2020 Election was done through an open, competitive tender process as opposed to sole sourcing and restricted tendering as was the case in the past. This no doubt ensured value for money in all our processes. At the right time, the Commission will share with you a report on its procurement processes and savings made to date.

We can also be proud of the fact that for the first time in the Commission’s history, all our processes from Registration to Election day were laid bare to the citizenry. Through the Let the Citizen Know initiative, we provided every citizen who cared to know, relevant and timely information on all our processes. Today, citizens have access to information on the number of registrants on the Voter’s roll, the number of registered male and female voters, the number of youth and first-time voters, the number of voters who are persons with disabilities and so on.

In addition, today, we can all be proud that as Ghanaians we went to the polls and cast our votes peacefully.

We can be proud that the technology deployed on Election day worked effectively and efficiently. Voters all over the country have testified to a pleasant and seamless experience at their respective polling stations. We must be proud that it took, in many instances, 3-5 minutes for the average voter to be verified and to vote. We must be proud that the usual hassle and struggle at polling stations, the long queues, the overcrowding, were all absent.

We must be proud that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all went to the polls with our safety guaranteed, as a result of the stringent safety protocols employed by the Commission.

And to crown it all, we must be proud of the fact that 48 hours after the election, we have been able to declare the results of the 2020 Presidential Elections. With hard work, focus, determination, and above all GOD’S help, we can do all things. Indeed, we can!

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is important to emphasize that we have achieved our successes as a result of the collective efforts of the entire team, that is, our Commission members, our directors and regional directors, deputy directors and deputy regional directors, our District Electoral Officers, our administrative, works and mechanical staff. We have all worked around the clock to achieve our goals. To all our team members, I salute you. Ayekoo! We certainly could not have succeeded without you, and I commend you all highly.

To the dear citizens of the country, we thank you for believing in us and for walking this journey with us. Your constructive feedback has helped strengthen our processes and our work and has left us better off now than when we started.

To our media partners, we thank you. You have been our gateway to the citizenry and have helped us to bring the Commission to the doorstep of citizens. Thank you.

To the Civil Society Organizations that believed in us and shared recommendations from well thought out research and analysis, we say thank you.

We also thank our election observers, both local and international, for their interest in ensuring that the whole electoral process is transparent, fair and credible. We commend highly the international observers who travelled all the way to Ghana in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic to observe our elections. Your feedback so far has been constructive, and we look forward to receiving the full reports as they will no doubt help us strengthen our work and processes.

I will now turn my attention to the reason we are all here.

The Election was conducted in 38,622 polling stations across the country and in 275 constituencies.

At the end of the transparent, fair, orderly, timely and peaceful Presidential Elections, the total number of valid votes cast was 13 Million 4 hundred and 34 thousand, 5 hundred and 74. (13,434,574) Representing 79% of the total registered voters.

Permit me to present the results in the order of appearance on the 2020 Presidential Ballot Paper.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo of the New Patriotic Party obtained 6 million 7 hundred and 30 thousand, 4 hundred and 13 (6,730,413) being 295% percent of the total valid votes cast
John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress obtained 6 million, 2 hundred and 14 thousand, 8 hundred and 89 (6,214,889) being 366% percent of the total valid votes cast
Christian Kwabena Andrews of the Ghana Union Movement obtained 105 thousand 5 hundred and 65 (105,565) being 805% percent of the total valid votes cast
Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Conventions Peoples Party obtained 12 thousand 2 hundred and 15 (12,215) being 093% percent of the total valid votes cast
Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party obtained 5 thousand 5 hundred 75 (5,575) being 042% percent of the total valid votes cast
Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) obtained 3 thousand 5 hundred and 74 (3,574) being 027% percent of the total valid votes cast
Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress obtained 7 thousand 1 hundred and 40 (7,140) being054% percent of the total valid votes cast
Percival Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana obtained 7 thousand 6 hundred and 90 (7,690) being 059% percent of the total valid votes cast
David Asibi Apasera of the People’s National Convention (PNC) obtained 10 thousand 8 hundred and 87 (10,887) being 083% percent of the total valid votes cast
Brigitte Akosua Dzogbenuku of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) obtained 6 thousand 8 hundred and 48 (6,848) being 0.052% percent of the total valid votes cast
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party obtained 6 thousand 6 hundred and 12 (6,612) being 50% percent of the total valid votes cast
Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, Independent candidate obtained 9 thousand 703 (9,703) being 074% percent of the total valid votes cast

Currently the election results we have declared exclude that of the Techiman South Constituency, with a voter population of 1 hundred and 28 thousand and 18 (128,018). The said election results are not ready because they are being contested. As such collation is not complete. The difference between the total number of votes between by the first and second candidates is 5 hundred and 15 thousand, 5 hundred and 24 votes (515,524).

As a result, even if we added the 1 hundred and 28 thousand and 18 (128,018) to the results of the 2^nd candidate, it would not change the outcome of the Presidential Election. Hence our declaration of the 2020 results without that of Techiman South.

If we were to add the results from Techiman South Constituency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would obtain 50.8% of the votes and John Dramani Mahama, would obtain 47.873% of the votes.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, on the basis of the foregoing election results and by the power vested in me as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, and the Returning Officer of the Presidential election, it is my duty and honour to declare Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana:

May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong. Let peace reign.