Election Petition: Akufo-Addo runs away from annulment of votes

In spite of the fact that the twice-rejected presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo, has decided to behave like the proverbial ostrich and pretend that all has gone well during hearings into his election petition at the Supreme Court, many of the top guns in the party believe defeat is coming their way when the court finally gives its verdict on Thursday, August 29, 2013.

Thus, while he is busily penning names for positions in what will become a phantom government, many of the top guns of the party have decided on what to tell Ghanaians to make their defeat less palatable to their supporters.

Thus, when radio presenter, Adakabre, hosted the NPP’s Anthony Karbo recently on his Adom FM’s morning programme recently (before he quit the radio station), the former National Youth Organiser of the party used the programme to test the waters by publicly stating what he claims to be Akufo-Addo’s real reasons for going to court in the aftermath of his defeat at the polls.

Speaking in his usual abrasive tone, Anthony Karbo told Adakabre that Akufo-Addo did not go to court to seek the annulment of votes cast by Ghanaians; rather, he went to court to ensure that there will be electoral reforms going forward. He said: “If it is left to Nana Addo’s personal interest, the NPP will not be in court. THE BASIS FOR GOING TO COURT IS THAT…WE WANT THIS COUNTRY’S DEMOCRACY AND THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION NOT TO BE THE SAME FOR SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS TO BE CONDUCTED IN THIS COUNTRY. THAT’S THE ONLY REASON WHY WE ARE IN COURT. WE WANT MAJOR ELECTORAL REFORMS…”

According to party insiders, this new mantra that Nana Akufo-Addo did not go to court to have the votes of Ghanaians annulled so he can become President of Ghana, but just to engender electoral reforms is in anticipation of a unanimous victory for President John Mahama when the court finally announces its ruling.

The new mantra is to ensure that the wanna-be president will appear to have had his wish done because definitely, the electoral system will need to be reformed to ensure that the conduct of electoral officers and polling agents will not make it possible for megalomaniacs to hold the country hostage.

According to the insider, many of the leading members of the party had been up-beat about the water-tight evidence Bawumia and co. claimed the NPP had, but when hearings began at the Supreme Court, they were dismayed to find that their so-called water tight evidence was like a leaking basket. They have since then been left in no doubt who will win the case and, therefore, began looking for the best way to soften the impact of their defeat, hence their decision to adopt the electoral reforms mantra.

“So far as the Supreme Court will call for electoral reforms, we can also say that Akufo Addo has gotten what he really wanted from the court,” the insider told the Daily Post. He was able to provide this paper with the voice clip of the interview in which Anthony Karbo made the electoral reforms mantra public for the first time.