President Mahama, Akufo-Addo to meet before election verdict
President John Dramani Mahama and Nana Akufo Addo, 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, have agreed to meet before the Supreme Court delivers judgment on the election petition.
The meeting, which is at the instance of the other presidential aspirants in the 2012 general elections, would afford the two gentlemen to demonstrate to their supporters that they are united, irrespective of the verdict, and help prepare the grounds for its acceptance by the grassroots.
The President’s protocol is to communicate the venue, date and time of the meeting to the parties concerned.
These came to light when five presidential aspirants in the 2012 election called on President Mahama at his residence to deliver a message of solidarity and to assure him of their commitment to upholding democracy under the rule of law.
The five – Jacob Osei Yeboah, 2012 Independent Presidential candidate, Kwasi Addae, United Front Party, Hassan Ayariga, People’s National Convention, Henry Lartey, Great Consolidated Popular Party and Abu Sakara, Convention People’s Party, had earlier met with Nana Addo, to express the same sentiments.
The solidarity message, read by Mr. Osei-Yeboah, said: “It would be in the national interest if both of you will demonstrate to Ghanaians that both of you are ready to accept the verdict by sitting together in a meeting with us.”
The message proposed follow-up actions after the Supreme Court ruling such as the issuing of an unequivocal public statement by President Mahama and Nana Addo immediately after the court’s verdict.
It also called for the constitution of a multi-party committee of eminent political figures to have oversight for needed electoral reforms and the need to budget for and support implementation of any needed electoral reforms so that they are completed by 2015, well ahead of the 2016 general elections.
The solidarity message advocated an action plan to achieve broader representation in government, beginning with the engagement of former presidential aspirants in consultative discussions on national issues to build a broader national consensus.
“We believe these actions and others that you may wish to discuss will help to restore our national life to normalcy as quickly as possible,” Mr. Osei-Yeboah stated.
“We also assure you of our willingness to condemn without exception any recalcitrant elements that may seek to undermine or reject the Supreme Court’s decision by any acts of commission or omission,” he added.
President Mahama congratulated the former presidential hopefuls for their noble mission noting that there had been all kinds of predictions by doomsayers about the verdict and stated confidently that Ghana’s democracy would survive the court’s verdict.
“Ghanaians have too much at stake in the destiny of the nation to destroy it at this time, I believe in Ghana and I believe in peace.
“I don’t think there will be any major disturbances but I have asked the security agencies to come up with contingency plans to contain any situation,” the President stressed.
He noted that Ghanaians went to a referendum in 1992 and accepted to be ruled in accordance to its dictates, therefore, all should abide by the decision of the final arbiter-the Supreme Court.
The President reiterated his support for all-inclusiveness in governance and expressed his willingness to working with and seeking the counseling of the presidential aspirants on the way forward for the nation.
Source: GNA