By Margaret Jackson
December 28, 2012
Don’t be angry or feel insulted if you read my headline. Because I have been struggling for days to choose a headline that befits this article. I, eventually, have to settle on this one because I have no other choice. Ever since the 2012 presidential results were declared in favour of the Winner and President-Elect, John Dramani Mahama, the two-time defeated presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, strongly aided by his cohorts have vehemently poured cold water on the results, by falsely claiming that the Electoral Commission (EC) had massaged the results against Akufo-Addo. As a result, the NPP have been busily preparing for court whilst issuing claims and counter claims every single day on what they believe was the true picture of what should have happened to the presidential results. I hope you do remember the different numbers that have been floated by the NPP as votes stolen from Akufo-Addo since the EC declared the results. It keeps changing like the German weather.
But the strangest thing that many Ghanaians may have not taken note of is the porous argument being floated by the NPP. They claim there is nothing wrong with the parliamentary results. According to them everything about the parliamentary results is fool-proof. The NPP maintains the parliamentary results as announced by the EC were good and that the NDC won the majority seats of 148 with the NPP winning 123 whilst 4 seats went independent.
The NPP’s only beef is with the Presidential results. They claim the party that won majority of the parliamentary seats lost the presidential seat. The NPP is claiming that the NDC which won most of the parliamentary seats actually lost the presidential election. What the NPP is really telling Ghanaians is that the NDC supporters voted for their parliamentary candidates but for some unforeseen circumstances decided to bolt John Mahama and voted for Akufo-Addo as president. That is why in their wildest dreams the NPP folks are still sticking to their guns and claiming that Akufo-Addo won the presidential election whilst his party lost the parliamentary elections.
How on earth can NDC supporters go to the polls, vote for their various parliamentary candidates and then decide to abandon their presidential candidate John Mahama and instead vote for Akufo-Addo? What is so special about Nana Akufo-Addo? What does Nana Akufo-Addo brings to the NDC table apart from political chaos?
The NDC supporters even in their wildest of dreams may never consider such an option of voting for their NDC parliamentary candidates and then turn around and vote for Akufo-Addo as president.
Ever since Ghana returned to multi-party democracy, the country has never had such a situation before. Any party that wins the majority in parliament goes on to win the presidential slot. Ghana has not reached the stage like the United States whereby one party can win the majority in parliament (Congress and Senate) whilst the other wins the presidency.
In the November 6 elections, President Obama got re-elected as President, but he lost the Congress to the Republicans whilst maintaining the edge in the Senate. Ghana is not there yet and it may take several years if not decades for the country to get to such a stage.
Therefore, if Akufo-Addo is kicking against the 2012 presidential results then he must equally punt against the parliamentary results as well. Akufo-Addo cannot give the EC thumps up on the parliamentary results and slam the presidential results.
And can Akufo-Addo think he can rule Ghana when he does not have majority in parliament on his side? That would be the most chaotic thing to imagine in a country called Ghana. Unless Akufo-Addo rules by decrees or evokes presidential powers there is nothing that will move in Ghana. Just consider how the NDC had struggled with the 3 billion dollar loan from China. Even with the majority in parliament the NDC had been dribbled all along by the NPP for two years now on this Chinese loan.
Therefore, why on earth can Akufo-Addo believe that even if the Supreme Court declares him the winner of the 2012 presidential election he can ever rule Ghana smoothly? This is an act of abnormality and the NPP better act fast to save their badly tattered party from further embarrassment and isolation.
One man’s foolish political analysis and ambition is being allowed to trump that of the NPP and normal reasoning. How can NDC supporters who have never forgotten the brazen chaos that surrounds Akufo-Addo suddenly love him so much that they will abandon their own, President John Mahama, and throw their votes to the former. Can somebody cast his/her precious pearls among the swine?
Ghanaians have not forgotten how desperate Akufo-Addo has hanker-after for the presidency. And voters are very much aware that even two days before the elections, Akufo-Addo shamelessly and falsely announced to the whole world at an NPP rally at the Efua Sutherland Park that another person who goes by the name Nana had endorsed him only for him to later issue an embarrassing apology. If Nana Akufo-Addo is indeed normal, he will stop right there and throw in his big political towel that has become an albatross on his neck. His political game is up and at this point even if Akufo-Addo concedes defeat Ghanaians including majority of his supporters will damn him forever. If he pursues the court option and he loses, Akufo-Addo will unleash an irreparable damage to the NPP. Personally Akufo-Addo is not bothered about himself because “he that is down needs fear no fall”. What Akufo-Addo lacks now is the low pride which throughout his life he had failed to exhibit.
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