NDC Rejects Voting Process

THE OPPOSITION National Democratic Congress (NDC) has disagreed to a suggestion allegedly made by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Djan that Ghanaians could vote with any of their fingers in the December 7 general elections.

National Youth Organiser Haruna Iddrisu said it was unconstitutional for the EC Chairman to make such a suggestion and that the NDC was prepared to oppose such moves.

The Tamale South Member of Parliament (MP) disclosed this at a forum organized by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) branch of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the NDC in Kumasi.

According to Hon. Iddrisu, the electoral process had been unambiguously set, therefore the EC Chairman had no basis to suggest that voters could use any of their fingers or use a pen to tick instead of voting with their thumb.

He accused both President Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of not “believing in their own manifesto”.

Hon. Iddrisu alleged that on different occasions President Kufuor was heard saying Ghana would be moved to middle income status while Nana Akufo-Addo said Ghana would be transformed into a first world country.

The NDC youth organiser indicated that the two had made several comments that were different from the contents of their manifesto.

He said Nana Akufo-Addo's changing of the slogan “I believe in Ghana” to “Believe in Ghana” was a demonstration of the NPP's inconsistency.

Hon. Iddrisu urged the students to kick the NPP out of power by voting massively for the NDC since Prof. Mills was the only person to help put the country back on its feet.

John Dramani Mahama, the running mate to Prof. Mills said the party was not against the peace meeting being suggested by the NPP but said, “Peace must be genuine and based on justice and fairness”.

He said current situations have not created a just and fair ground for peace and that the use of the security apparatus to arrest, try and imprison NDC members expeditiously while NPP members arrested had been freed did not create the right atmosphere for a peace meeting.

Mr. Mahama urged the government to show more commitment towards peaceful elections, adding that President Kufuor would be held responsible if the elections turned violent.

He reminded the President that ex-president Rawlings handed over a peaceful nation to him therefore he has a responsibility to hand over a peaceful country to another president.

Mr. Mahama thus indicated that the NDC was prepared to meet the NPP under the auspices of the National Peace Council chaired by Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson

He condemned the NPP slogan “we are moving forward” as a movement that would lead Ghana in the wrong direction since those who profess such do not believe in what they themselves were espousing.

Mr. Mahama urged the youth to believe in Prof. Mills as the man to lead them in the right direction.

The Bole/Bamboi Member of Parliament mentioned that under Prof. Mills' government, a national emergency would be declared to deal with graduate unemployment.

Mr. Mahama assured the students that the NDC government would introduce the “Young Entrepreneur Programme” to help graduates who wish to work on their own.

Other NDC members who addressed the students were Ohene-Agyekum, Ashanti Regional Chairman; Ludwig Hlodzoe, deputy National Youth Organiser; the Oforikrom Constituency Chairman, Alhaji Hamidu Mohammed; Prof. Ohene Agyare; Ebenezer Teye Larbi, Parliamentary Candidate, Oforikrom Constituency; Nana Osei Bonsu, National Vice Chairman; Mike Obuobi, of the USA Caucus and Moses Seddoh, KNUST TEIN president.

From Wisdom Peter Awuku, Kumasi