Presidential candidates congratulate Akufo-Addo - Ask President-elect to unify country

Some of the presidential candidates who took part in last Monday’s election have advised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to use his second term to unify the country for accelerated development.

They all maintained that the outcome of the general election showed that the government had no option but to pursue that path in order to advance the progress of the country.

Candidates

The candidates are Mr David Apasera of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Ms Brigitte Akosua Dzogbenuku of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Mr Hassan Ayariga of the All People Congress’s (APC) and Mr Percival Kofi Akpaloo Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG).

They all commended the Electoral Commission (EC) and the electorate for a peaceful and orderly elections.

“With parliament split almost in the middle, we wish that they are able to work together in the interest of Ghana rather than in the interest of their respective parties so that we can move this country forward.”

“We hope that they are coming on to do things better in the second term,” the presidential candidate of the PPP, Ms Brigitte Akosua Dzogbenuku, said in an interview with the Daily Graphic shortly after the EC declared Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President-elect after the 2020 presidential election.

Ms Dzogbenuku explained that the dwindling number of votes garnered by the President at the election and the loss of many seats by the NPP were an indication that Ghanaians might not have been happy with the performance of the government in its first term.

She said the posture of the government in the first term was “quite divisive” and expressed the hope that with the outcome of the parliamentary elections, it was clear that the second term would require that the President worked closely with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to ensure the progress of the country as Ghanaians expected.

Ms Dzogbenuku said the President deserved congratulations for a well-deserved victory, “because he has been declared winner by the institution that is legally mandated to do so”.

Liberal Party of Ghana

The presidential candidate of the LPG urged President Akufo-Addo to consider an all-inclusive government to reduce the tension in the country.

“I believe that if he can embrace an all-inclusive government by inviting members from the other political parties to work with him, it can reduce the tension in the country,” Mr Akpaloo said.

He commended the EC for a “splendid performance, saying “we must commend them for organising a free and fair election.”

Mr Akpaloo also commended all Ghanaians for going out in their numbers to vote and remaining composed until the declaration.

Great Consolidated

Popular Party

In his congratulatory message to the President-elect, the presidential candidate of the GCPP said the President deserved a second term because of various policies he pursued in his first term.

He was particularly happy with the agricultural flagship programme of the government, Planting for Food and Jobs, which he said was in line with the domestication and operation feed yourself, which were the brainchild of his late father.

While wishing President Akufo-Addo well in his second term, Dr Lartey expressed his preparedness to support the President in any way possible to move the country forward.

All People Congress’s

For his part, Mr Ayariga said he called the President-elect to congratulate him after the EC’s declaration.

He also congratulated Ghanaians in general for comporting themselves in a manner that ensured the conduct of a peaceful election.

“The congratulations does not go to only the President and the NPP. It goes to all of us because we all did a very good job and Ghana has won and we must be proud of one another.

“Let us try to build our democracy in a better way as we continue to excel and promote democracy,” Mr Ayariga said.

Peaceful, transparent election

Mr Apasera of the PNC told the Daily Graphic that when the counting of ballots was moving in favour of the President, he called him to congratulate him.

He also described the entire electoral process, from the filing of papers to the EC’s declaration of the results as “very peaceful.”

He, however, expressed misgivings about certain happenings during the voting process.

“In some areas in the Sissala East Constituency, people queued from morning to late in the night around 7 p.m. because the machines were faulty and my parliamentary candidate suspected foul play.

“That notwithstanding I think that generally the election was peaceful and transparent,” he said.