Two paddies Johnson Asiedu Nketia and Peter Mac Manu sharing pleasantaries
Drama unfolded in the Operations Room of the Electoral Commission (EC) in Accra last Friday after President John Dramani Mahama called Nana Akufo-Addo on phone to concede defeat in the 2016 general elections.
Staff of the Commission, representatives of the various political parties and observers spontaneously halted the collation of the results to jubilate.
The representatives of National Democratic Congress Party (NDC), Convention People’s Party (CPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), Progressive People’s Party (PPP), People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Independent Candidate, hugged each other to defuse tension in the Operations Room.
During a press conference, the Chairperson of Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Charlotte Osei, averred that Nana Akufo-Addo polled a total of 5,716,026 votes to beat incumbent President John Dramani Mahama, who also had 4,713,277 votes.
According to her, Nana Akufo-Addo, 72, who now becomes the 5th President of the 4th Republic, secured 53.85 percent of the total valid votes while his closest contender, John Dramani Mahama recorded 44.40 percent.
The candidates of the other five contending political parties collectively secured 1.76 percent of the total votes.
She stated that a total of 15,712,499 registered voters took part in the elections at 28,992 polling stations across 275 constituencies and 286 voting centres.
Nana Akufo-Addo, a legal luminary and onetime Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration under the previous Kufour administration is married to Rebecca Akufo-Addo and has three daughters.
J.B Danquah, William Ofori–Attah and Edward Akufo- Addo were the grand uncle, uncle and father respectively of Nana Akufo-Addo.
Edward Akufo-Addo, his father, was Ghana’s third Chief Justice and ceremonial President from 1969-1972.
Speaking to journalists after the declaration of the results, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress Party (NDC), congratulated Nana Akufo-Addo for emerging victorious in the general elections.
He mentioned that although there were reports of irregularities, they were insignificant.
By Solomon Ofori