• The former president is in the Volta region on a 'Thank You' tour
• The 2020 elections recorded some violence at polling centers
John Dramani Mahama has questioned the kind of democracy that the ruling New Patriotic Party is superintending over in the country.
Making references to incidences from the 2020 general elections, among others that support his claims, the former president lamented that the ruling party, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is fostering an ill democracy in the country.
Asked a direct question, “Is there hope for the NDC in 2024?” during his interview on Global FM in Ho, while in the Volta region for his Thank You tour, and monitored by GhanaWeb, here is what the former president said:
“Why not? I mean for a party that went from 4 point something million votes to 6 point something million – almost 6.3 million, how can you say there is no hope? There definitely is hope but for a lot of scheming that took place, the NDC would have won the 2020 elections. I do believe that we did win but a lot of things went untoward.
“And so even though power didn’t come into our hands, it doesn’t mean that we do not have the prospects of winning. I mean, we won the majority in parliament but you saw what happened on the day. Many of the collation centers, they injected soldiers in there and forced the electoral officers to pronounce results that were not real.
“When you take Sehwi Wiawso, the collation center where I won the presidential, that polling station ballot box – the parliamentary, was asked to be brought to the regional collation center instead of the district collation center, and on the way, it got missing. And based on that, they declared the NPP the winners. Those are some of the things that happened and it could have changed the narrative,” he said.
John Dramani Mahama also lamented the growing instances of election-related disturbances, questioning the model of democracy that is being practised in the country today.
“In Sene West, luckily a judge sorted that out: when they were losing, they picked a ballot box and run away. I mean, what kind of democracy is this? I was looking at something this morning, Municipal Chief Executive in Cape Coast, and they said 77 votes out of 63 – people assembled there were 63 and somebody was saying that some people took some of the ballot papers and run away. I mean, what kind of democracy is the NPP fostering in this country?” he quizzed.
The former president is in the region as part of his Thank You tour of the country, just right after completing the same exercise in the Central region.
As part of the two-phased tour of the region, President Mahama will meet the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, and the Asogli Traditional Council.
He will also hold an interaction with Religious Leaders at Dela Cathedral, Ho Kpodzi.
Other activities lined up include a visit to the residence of late Comrade Courage Worlasi Danku where he will commiserate with the family and sign a book of condolence in memory of the late Deputy Regional Youth Organizer at Sokode Gbagble.
Mr. Mahama will also meet party stakeholders at the G.M. Afeti Auditorium, Ho Technical University.
John Mahama is surprised at the kind of democracy being practiced in the country