Nana Akufo Addo asserts confidence in EC

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo,

Presidential Candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on

Tuesday affirmed his confidence in the ability of the Electoral

Commission (EC) to conduct free, fair and transparent polls on

December 7.
He said: "The Commission's track record over the past years and

the professional competence of the Commissioners and staffs, which

the international community attest to, gives me and my party the

guarantee of their ability to manage Election 2008, professionally in

accordance with international electoral norms".
Speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Accra, the

NPP Presidential Candidate, who is also a Member of Parliament for

Abuakwa South, said the EC through the preparatory stages of

Election 2008 have exhibited their tenacity and ability to withstand the

storm and to steer the December polls creditably for acceptable

results.
Nana Akufo Addo said: "The involvement of local and

international observers, who have been deployed throughout the

country; EC's interaction with political party representatives through

the platform of the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and

educational tour of the Commission's premises by party executives

gives me the cause to trust the Commission."
Speaking on the role of the media as the nation moved towards

Election Day, Nana Akufo-Addo urged the media to recognise their

constitutional mandate and to conduct their role professionally in

accordance with Ghana Journalists Association Code of Ethics for

media practitioners.
"Journalist must be fair, balance and truthful in their reportage;

avoid sensationalism and declaring of electoral results, which is not

their mandate...you must avoid the temptation of running ahead of the

EC in declaring your own results," he said.
Nana Akufo Addo commended the conduct of other Presidential

Candidates and political parties during the electioneering campaign,

but challenged them to instruct their supporters to exercise restraint in

the last few days to the elections.
"The journey to the final declaration of results is definitely going to

be long and stressful but we must encourage our supporters to

behave...the blood of Ghanaians are precious and we must not spill

any just to win power.
"We must also pledge our commitment to accept the outcome of

the elections gracefully congratulate the winner and accept defeat, and

jubilate with moderation," the NPP Presidential Candidate stated.

He reiterated his call for peaceful election, stressing: "Ghana has

come a long way democratically. Election 2008 offers all democratic

stakeholders an opportunity to entrench our democratic credentials

and confirm our leadership role in Africa."
He said: "After more than 30 years of political leadership in

different capacity in the country am now on course to lead the NPP

to victory in the presidential election on December 7th and move the

nation forward."
The NPP Presidential Candidate said: "My vision is to create a

modern society, by transforming the Ghanaian economy; deepening

the democratic culture and leading Ghana to participate fully in the

project of regional and continental unity.
Nana Akufo-Addo said: "My presidency will be about

encouraging Ghanaians to believe in themselves...this is an age of

rediscovery. We need to reconnect with the courage and hope that

made Ghana the first Black African country to achieve

i

ndependence.
"We need to claim for ourselves a new passion and culture of

excellence. Let us move forward with confidence that our potential

lies within us and that it is bigger than the problems, which stifled our

efforts in the past."