John Dramani Mahama
Former President and flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has called on his party supporters to stage a nationwide demonstration against the Electoral Commission (EC) on September 17.
Mr. Mahama urged NDC supporters to besiege EC offices across the country, accusing the commission of failing to perform its duties to ensure a peaceful and transparent election.
The former President made the comments while addressing supporters at Sampa in the Jaman North District of the Bono Region, where he claimed that the EC’s inaction necessitated the need for pressure from the NDC.
The NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, on Monday announced plans to demonstrate in every town with an EC office, with supporters expected to wear party t-shirts and converge on the commission’s premises to express their discontent with alleged discrepancies in the voters’ register.
“If we desire for free, fair, and peaceful elections, then the EC must up their game and do things right. So on the 17th of this month [September], NDC is going to demonstrate in every town that has an EC office. Our chairman has announced it,” Mr. Mahama intimated.
“You [referring to NDC supporters] wear your t-shirts, and you go and demonstrate at the EC office so that we can put pressure on them to do their job and do what they have to do to ensure a peaceful and transparent election,” he stressed.
Mr. Mahama explained that the demonstration is meant to press home the need for the commission to critically audit the voter register and address any discrepancies before the elections.
He also called on the NDC supporters to come out in their numbers to vote for a change, saying, “If you vote well, it brings development and wellness. However, if you don’t vote well and someone, who does not know governance, leads the country, it brings hardship.”
According to him, the NPP government has subjected Ghanaians to severe economic hardships, noting, “But thanks to the 1992 Constitution, we have another opportunity to vote for change and economic freedom.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu