President John Dramani Mahama was conspicuously missing at what can be described as a hurriedly arranged victory rally of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the Trade Fair Site in La, Accra, on Saturday.
The NDC was forced to issue a directive to party executives nationwide, through its General Secretary Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, to celebrate the controversial declaration of Mr. Mahama as president-elect by Electoral Commission Chairman Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, after allegations that the December 7 general election was fixed in the NDC�s favour.
At the time the rally was going on, the president was said to be making preparations to fly to South Africa to chill there as part of a private visit.
Indeed, a communication from the presidency signed by John Abdulai Jinapor, the president�s spokesperson, later confirmed DAILY GUIDE�s suspicion. According to John Jinapor�s statement, the President was expected back in Accra on Sunday, December 30, 2012.
The statement said Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, in the absence of Mr. Mahama, shall, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the constitution, act as President during the period that the President will be away.
Since the results were announced, the opposition NPP has resorted to seeking legal redress, instead of using violence, to achieve its objective after it claimed Dr. Afari-Gyan unjustifiably gave the elections to the NDC.
The Nana Akufo-Addo-led NPP has been using dialogue to explain its side of the story to religious bodies and other civil society organizations
It is clear everybody wants peace in Ghana but what happened at the NDC victory rally leaves much to be desired.
At a time everybody in the country is crying for peace, NDC gurus used the rally to rain insults on the opposition for not accepting the election results, even though the NDC never accepted the 2004 election results which gave then President John Agyekum Kufuor a second term in office.
Speaker upon speaker took turns to taunt and denigrate the NPP, particularly the personality of the party�s candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Party chairman Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Asiedu-Nketiah aka General Mosquito, National Organiser Yaw Boateng Gyan, Sam P. Yalley among others were at the event.
Yaw Boateng Gyan, who prior to the election had been exposed in a secret recording for plotting with NDC foot-soldiers to infiltrate the security agencies and cause mayhem, said he did not understand why Nana Akufo-Addo should talk about his (Gyan) nefarious activities.
He warned the NPP flag-bearer to stop associating his (Gyan�s) name with violence or else he (Akufo Addo) would urinate in public just as he was rumoured to have done near a mosque in Gonjaland last year.
He claimed that the NPP�s defeat, which was a subject of contention, was signaled by Nana Akufo-Addo�s fall on stage during a rally in Kumasi in the run-up to the elections.
He also said that the electorate did not vote the NPP into power because God did not create their flag-bearer to be president.
Although the late President Mills would have sought a second term in office at the same age as Nana Akufo-Addo, had the law professor not died, General Mosquito said that the NPP candidate could not be president because he was too old
He said Nana Akufo-Addo had no business contesting the election because he was the oldest among the candidates.
Asiedu-Nketiah claimed the �class mates� of the NPP candidate had now graduated to the Council of State and urged Nana Akufo-Addo to do same.
He taunted the NPP, saying the NDC, under President John Mahama, was magnanimous and had reserved a seat for Nana Akufo-Addo as a Council of State member but he should first disown his �all-die-be-die� comment and the free SHS mentality.
Sam Pee Yalley also claimed that the NPP�s decision not to accept the December 7 verdict showed that the opposition party was violent. He said once all the parties signed the peace accord in Kumasi before the elections, the NPP should have accepted the outcome of the polls.
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