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."