OPEN LETTER TO PAUL ADOM-OTCHERE OF GOOD EVENING GHANA
Dear Paul,
I write to you as a concerned fan of MetroTV and your show, Good Evening Ghana Official.
In the lead up to the 2020 elections, you subjected your viewers to many monologue election related analysis. It was interesting watching you play with historic election figures on your touchscreen analysis.
Mr Paul Adom-otchere, in one of those analysis, you tried all your cognitive and numerical skills to convince your viewers that, you could simply call the final outcome of 2020 elections using candidates and parties’ performance in the Greater Accra Region. For example, you claimed in your analysis that, the NDC must not lose any of some six stronghold constituencies in the Greater Accra Region, namely;
1. Ningo Prampram
2. Ada
3. Sege,
4. Shai Osu Doku
5. Ashaiman
6. Ayawaso North
In your own words, “…if you are NDC, you have to keep your eyes on these constituencies. If on election night, results are coming in and there are indications that you are losing any of these constituencies, you are heading for your 47%”.
Also, you said, the NPP must not lose any of some seven (7) constituencies namely;
1. Dome Kwabenya
2. Tema West
3. Okaikwei South
4. Okakwei North
5. Ablekuma West
6. Ablekuma North
7. Tema Central
“…and NPP if on election night you are losing any of these constituencies, you are in trouble. You have to know that! These ones you have to grab them! hold them! put them back and you have to win them convincingly as you always win” you said.
Paul, on election night, we all followed the results and observed the NDC win all the six strongholds you outlined whiles the NPP lost Okaikwei North for the first time to NDC’s Theresah Awuni.
To further strengthen your analysis and make it more believable in the eyes of your viewing public, you added constituencies you termed as swing. You were emphatic that, any candidate and or party that wins more of the swings will carry the night. The swing constituencies per your touchscreen analysis were;
1. Ledzokuku
2. Klottey Korle
3. Krowor
4. La Dadekotopon
5. Madina
6. Ablekuma Central
7. Ayawaso West Wuogon
In a very exciting mood and a high pitch note you declared “…so on election night, if we check who is winning the swing constituencies, it gives us a fair idea of where this battle is going…”
To report to you, Paul, the NDC won in all the supposed swing constituencies except Ayawaso West Wuogon. But strangely, Jean Atukwei Mensah told the entire country, under some bizarre circumstances and with imbalanced figures that, the NPP won the elections. Unbelievable, right!
Paul, the form of your presentation of issues on Good Evening Ghana, makes the show very interesting to watch. I believe you have no intention to mislead your viewers with your touchscreen analysis.
Otherwise, how could you mislead your viewers that, “…if a Presidential Candidate, either of the NDC or the NPP is able to notch it at 52% in Greater Accra Region, I can assure you that you have won the National elections.”
You were emphatic that, “…that’s the analysis… we don’t think that the trend is going to change. If at all, it is going be enhanced… so Presidential Candidates and your team,… look at Greater Accra Region, fight for 52%, if you hit the magic number on election night, 52%, call me and I will announce right here that, your party has won the election, because that’s the trend, that’s what’s going to happen it’s not going to change…”
Does it surprise you, Mr. Adom-otchere that, the President-Select Akufo-Addo (as some refer to him), did not hit the magic number (52%) in Greater Accra Region, yet he is acclaimed to have won the National election? In fact, the figures, per the EC’s flawed declaration, puts him nowhere close to 50% of votes in the Greater Accra Region. So how did he win the National election?
To cut a long story short, the purpose of this letter, is to request of you, to go back to the touchscreen analysis, to convince your viewers with data that, you did not intend to mislead us.
As a former appointee of Akufo-Addo, and probably looking forward to be reappointed, I believe this letter may not be received heartily. But you are supposed to be a Journalist and the ethics should guide you to act.
I have attached relevant portions of the video for your consideration.
Thank you.
Yaw Brogya Genfi
Suame, Kumasi
