Nana Akufo-Ado, former and incumbent President of Ghana, is currently serving his second term after defeating his opponent in the recent Presidential elections. His victory sparked mixed reactions among his opponents, who alleged he had rigged the votes. This is contrary to the electoral commission results who had announced Mr. Akufo-Ado as the winner with 51.6%. His main opposition, John Mahama, had, however, obtained 47.4% of the total votes.
Mr. Mahama and his Party had failed to concede defeat. Instead, they had rejected the results and alleged irregularities. As such, the National Democratic Congress filed a petition at the country’s high court demanding a rerun of polls of the prominent opposition leader, Mahama and Nana Akufo-Ado. According to Mahama, the electoral commission did not follow the voter verification process. This is what the NDC said:
” The petition details serious violations of the 1992 Constitution by the electoral commission.”
Therefore, it seeks a declaration from the Supreme Court that the 2020 Presidential elections were unconstitutional, null, and void. It is not the first time Mr. Akufo-Ado has contested against Mr. Mahama. It is the third time the two have competed against each other. And since 1992, this was the eighth presidential election the country held.
Moreover, Mahama had ruled the country for four years until 2017 when he lost power to Mr. Akufo-Ado. And since then, he has been trying to reclaim power.
The Inauguration Ceremony
The swearing-in ceremony commenced on Thursday in the Parliament House in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. After taking the oath, Mr. Akufo-Ado became once more the President. Reports indicate it is his second time in power. Meanwhile, on the previous day, controversies arose following a fight between rival politicians in Parliament.
The differences among politicians escalated while the members of Parliament were electing a new speaker. This incident almost sabotaged the whole process. Reports indicate that chaos erupted after a lawmaker from the ruling party attempted to seize the ballot box. The unceasing clash lasted for several hours before the military officers moved in to intervene. A member of the opposition party, National Democratic Congress, Mr. Kwame Twumasi, narrated that there was a total breakdown of law and order amid the incident.
He said that witnessing a member of Parliament and minister of state snatching ballot papers was so humiliating. However, when eventually the tensions seized, Alban Bagbin, a member of the opposition and Veteran politician, won the elections. He became the new speaker of the 4th Republic. It is the first time in Ghana’s history that a speaker of the Parliament comes from the opposition.
Duty Calls After Inauguration
Even though Ghana has a reputation for its stable democracy, its economic growth has dramatically deteriorated, especially with the emergence of COVID-19. Therefore, the incumbent President faces the challenge of bringing its economy to greater heights. The levels of unemployment in the country has escalated as many had lost their jobs. Therefore, there is so much uncertainty about whether the economy of Ghana will recover.
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