President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has condemned the pockets of violence during the 7 December presidential and parliamentary elections.
Addressing supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at his residence in Nima, Accra, the president described the incidents in Odododiodoo in Greater Accra and Techiman in Bono East as regrettable.
“I condemn in no uncertain terms the isolated incidents of post-electoral violence at Odododiodoo and Techiman that led to a few regrettable deaths,” he said. “May their souls rest in peace. We must work to avoid a repetition in the future.”
“To the security services who ensured the peace and safety of the process, Ghana will for ever be in your debt. Your role has been invaluable in preserving law and order,” the president said.
He commended the media and security forces for their invaluable contribution to the entire electoral process.
Random violence
One person has been shot dead after attempting to snatch a ballot box at a polling centre in Awutu Senya West in the Central Region.
The dead man was one of four people, believed to be landguards, who raided the polling centre at the close of voting.
Earlier, two men believed to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were injured after a shooting incident near the Church of Christ polling station in Kasoa, Awutu Senya East, in the Central Region.
According to our reporter, it is yet to be established whether the incident, which happened 300 metres away from the polling station, was related to the election.
Earlier reports suggested the perpetrators of the crime were in a black Toyota Land Cruiser. They opened fire on a Kia saloon car that was driving out of the polling station.
Victory
President Akufo-Addo was on Wednesday declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election, defeating John Mahama of the NDC, declared the chair of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa.
Akufo-Addo won 51.59% of the total votes cast, against Mahama’s 47.36%. Akufo-Addo polled a total of 6,730,413 votes out of the total 13,434,574, outstripping Mahama’s 6,214,889.
Crowds of jubilant supporters hit the streets in Accra and other parts of the country to celebrate the victory of the 76-year-old NPP leader.
Akufo-Addo first defeated John Mahama in 2016, winning 53.8% of the vote to the former president’s 44.4%.
Historically Ghana’s elections have been close, with Mahama winning narrowly against Akufo-Addo in 2012 with 50.7% of the vote.
By Fred Dzakpata
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