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Opinions of Saturday, 17 August 2013

Columnist: Jackson, Margaret

How Akufo-Addo Wants To Punish Western Region

Akufo-Addo’s Bad Faith – How He Wants To Punish Western Region

By Margaret Jackson

August 16, 2013

We have about two weeks before the Supreme Court determines the petition case involving the results of the 2012 Presidential Election which is being challenged by the losing candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Nana Akufo-Addo, who has lost two presidential elections in a row, from the very onset told Ghanaians and the whole world that he was compelled to go to court to contest the results of the 2012 Presidential Election because he wants the electoral system to be cleaned up for the conduct of free and fair elections in future.

Those who have always underestimated the diabolical mind of Akufo-Addo however bought into this silly explanation. It, however, did not take long before it emerged at the Supreme Court that Akufo-Addo is contesting everything under the sun, even where the pink sheets were printed from. Do you remember Mr Philip Addison, lead counsel for Nana Akufo-Addo, accusing the Electoral Commission of over printing pink results sheets, thus causing financial loss to the state?

When the affidavits of the NPP were unsealed it became abundantly clear that Nana Akufo-Addo’s sole interest in going to court was aimed at using the court to win the presidential election at all cost. But it also occurred that Akufo-Addo’s litany of accusations was exclusively based on bad faith. The respondents in the case immediately pointed out to the Supreme Court that Nana Akufo-Addo was therefore seeking selective justice.

This was when the respondents detected that most of the polling stations that Nana Akufo-Addo is contesting in court were mostly polling stations won by President Mahama, whilst he deliberately shielded areas where he won from the microscopic view of the SC.

Many people, who seem to believe what the respondents have been preaching on bad faith by the petitioners, have however been a little reluctant to go with them because they have not yet seen some numbers to back the claim.

We, therefore have the list of constituencies in the Western Region to prove a point. We have a total of 2,619 constituencies in the Western Region. Nana Akufo-Addo is challenging results in 1,269 polling stations, representing 48.5%. Out of the polling stations being challenged, President Mahama won 1,144 (90.1%) leaving only 125 won by Nana Akufo-Addo (9.9%). When you look at the detailed analysis you could deduce that in the Western Region, Bia West will suffer the most if the SC throws away the votes Akufo-Addo is contesting in court. Bia West’s votes of 39,486 being contested by Akufo-Addo represent 8.2% of the total votes being contested in court.

If the above information is not chilling enough, wait until I tell you the rest of the story. We have a total number of 480,122 voters involved in the polling stations being challenged by Nana Akufo-Addo in the Western Region. What it means is that, Akufo-Addo is calling the SC to throw away 480,122 valid votes in the Western Region.

If Akufo-Addo gets his wish, it means that 480,122 innocent voters who went to the polls to elect a president of their choice will see their votes thrown into the dustbin in order to pave the way for Akufo-Addo to become president of Ghana.

This is the stark gospel we have been preaching all this while that Akufo-Addo does not care a hoot about anybody and how people woke up very early in the morning on voting day to join long queues in order to exercise their constitutional mandate to vote. All what Akufo-Addo believes is being made the president of the country through whatever means.

By the way, have you ever heard Akufo-Addo pledging to abide by the verdict of the SC? He has been silent on the issue and it’s about time Ghanaians know where he stands. He cannot be allowed to have it both ways. Akufo-Addo went to the SC believing that the court is the best place to dispense justice; therefore, if Akufo-Addo cannot pledge that he will abide by the verdict of the SC if it does not go his way, then this should give every Ghanaian who wants peace a serious cause for concern.

magjackson80@yahoo.com http://majjacks80.blogspot.com