Use judicial means to address electoral grievances - 6 Presidential candidates tell Mahama

Five political parties and an independent presidential candidate in the 2020 Presidential elections have added their voices to calls imploring the Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, and the party’s supporters to use judicial processes to address all their grievances if they do not agree with the results as declared by the Electoral Commission.

They said it was for such incidents that the electoral courts had been created, saying it was important for aggrieved persons to seek justice or redress legally, instead of trying to create tension.

Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, the political parties, represented by their respective flag bearers, stressed that no political party was bigger than Ghana, and that it was important for all to respect and go by the peace pact signed ahead of the election.

“Ghana is bigger than all political parties and individuals, so if there are any discrepancies emanating from the 2020 Election results, there is a judicial process for addressing them and the aggrieved persons must go by that, not the use of violence or creating chaos to fan trouble for the people you intended  to govern,” they emphasised.

The parties

The others were the People’s National Convention (PNC), represented by Mr Albert Apasera; the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), represented by Mr Kofi Apaloo, and Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, who was a Vice Presidential  Independent candidate.

While calling for peace and calm, the leaders of the minority political parties also gave an assurance that they would visit President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Mr Mahama to impress on both of them to create an atmosphere that would enhance peaceful coexistence in Ghana

Tensed atmosphere

Making his submission, Mr Ayariga of the APC expressed concern about the tensed atmosphere that had been created across the country after the 2020 Parliamentary and Presidential results had been released, heightened by the NDC’s refusal to accept the results, as declared by the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Mensa.

He admitted that just like all the losing candidates, he was shocked at the outcome of the election because he had high expectations to win the election, but since the decision to become President solely rested on the electorate and announced by the EC, “I kept calm and have started planning for the 2024 general elections”.

2012 general elections

 He recalled the 2012 general elections, pointing out how, after losing that election and being dissatisfied with the outcome, the then NPP candidate, Nana  Akufo-Addo, sought redress in court.

“All elections have challenges, so if we resort to violence in challenging the results, there will be no peace in the country and the consequences will be disastrous for all of us, including the youth who are yearning for jobs.

“That explains why we are calling for peace in addressing the irregularities supposed to have emanated from these elections,” he explained

Ivor Greenstreet

The Flag bearer of the CPP, Mr Greenstreet, said although he was struggling to cope with the shocking news of his defeat, he still felt the need to add his voice and support to the call for peace.

“I am trying to recover from the shock of the defeat, but when Mr Ayariga called me, I felt it was important, as leaders, to find ways to calm the tensed atmosphere.

“We represent the minority parties in the country, but as leaders we also have a role to play in bringing about peaceful co-existence in the country to accelerate its socio-economic development because without peace, there is no way this country can develop.

“We have thus come together to request for peace because of the tensed atmosphere in the country now. We cannot allow ourselves to sit on the fence while this tension goes on.

“We are not stopping NDC supporters from demonstrating, but it should be done peacefully, so that the country can enjoy peace to concentrate on our core businesses,” the CPP flag bearer stressed.

Mr Apasera

When he took his turn, the Leader of the PNC, Mr Apasera, said having been at the losing end in elections since 2008, he knew how it felt, but  said he accepted those results and moved on.

“It is for this reason that we are appealing to our brothers in the NDC to have a sober reflection on anything likely to create violence in the country because we have future elections to contest.

“Each election will have just one winner, and that is what has happened now,” he said.

Dr Lartey

For his part, Dr Lartey urged Ghanaians, irrespective of their party affiliations, to support the policies that would be initiated by the NPP government, “so that Ghana will become the beacon of hope in Africa”.

Jacob Osei Yeboah

Mr Yeboah expressed the hope that the NDC would finally accept the results for peace to reign in Ghana.

“It is not easy to lose an election, and that explains why there are pockets of demonstrations, but the leadership should use all the democratic processes to seek redress.

“The court should be the right way to seek redress if they feel otherwise,” he emphasised.

Background

The NDC, in reaction to the EC’s declaration of Nana Akufo-Addo as the winner of the Presidential election, rejected the results, describing them as flawed.

Subsequently, the leadership of the party have held several press conferences to reiterate their rejection of the declared results and also began demonstrations in some parts of the country.

Dr Henry Lartey (GCPP), Ivor Greenstreet (CPP) & Mr Hassan Ayariga (PNC)