“Akufo-Addo trampling our democracy, doing everything to hang on to power” – Mahama
Former President John Mahama has accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of doing everything to hang on to power.
“President Rawlings was the first president under the Fourth Republic. He ruled this country for eight years and handed over peacefully to President Kufour, President Kufour was in power for eight years and he handed over the peaceful and united country to the late Professor Evans Atta Mills and I took over in 2012 after the unfortunate passing over of Professor Mills. I handed over a peaceful and united country to Akufo-Addo. Unfortunately, what nation is Akufo-Addo going to handover to me when I take over from him in 2021?” Mr Mahama wondered when he registered for his voter ID card at Bole in the Savanna Region on Wednesday, 5 August 2020.
In his view, the Akufo-Addo government “is trampling our democracy”.
“A lot of things that are happening; closure of radio stations and just recently during this registration exercise the elimination of people and the questioning of their citizenship and the use of the military to prevent people from registering. It all shows a government that is determined to do everything to hang on to power”, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress said.
He promised to unite the country in peace should he win the 7 December 2020 polls.
“We will bring back the peace and unity in this country. We will make all our people feel they belong to this country and that some people do not own this country than others,” he said.
A few days ago, Mr Mahama accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of using the military to frustrate people of the Volta region and non-Akans from registering.
In a statement on Saturday, 1 August 2020, Mr Mahama said: “This is not the Ghana our forebears toiled for and built!”
“Each and every successive President”, he noted, “left a peaceful, stable and united country”.
However, he observed, “The road President Akufo-Addo is taking our beautiful country through, using the military and party thugs to stop people from exercising their right to register and vote in the upcoming December elections, is dangerous and unacceptable”.
He alleged: ‘There have been many reports and video evidence, like the one in this post, of the President’s deployment and discriminatory use of soldiers to target our brothers and sisters in the Volta Region and wherever there are settlements of Voltarians and non-Akans”.
The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said: “Executive power must not be used to foment ethnic discrimination and abuse as is happening under Nana Akufo-Addo”.
“These calculated acts of ‘dehumanisation, disenfranchising Ghanaians and stripping them of their citizenship’ must end”, he insisted.
He promised: “They will surely never happen under a new NDC administration because we will foster a spirit of peace and unity in our nation”.
As Commander-in-Chief, Mr Mahama pledged, “I will not use our military in such a partisan manner to terrorise our own people, and in matters that are purely civil and dwell in the very heart of our constitutional democracy”.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Ghana has said the exercise has entered its sixth and final phase starting today, Saturday, 1 August 2020.
The exercise ends on Thursday, 6 August 2020.
The election management body has, thus, urged eligible voters who have not yet registered to try and do so.
It said in a statement that it is ensuring strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols at the centres.
“The Commission assures members of the public that it will enforce all the safety protocols at all Registration Centres throughout the country,” it added.
