The 2020 elections is not the first one in which key players rejected results.
It is not the first one in which the opposition party explained with anger what happened. It is hypocritical to ask NDC and John Mahama to go to court. An election is a public event and one doesn’t go to court without first building a public case. This is politics it is not is dispute arising from family gathering. Any decision to go to court or not has huge political implications.
In the 2012 elections, the NPP and Nana Akufo Addo engaged the people severally with press conferences, threat and determination to make the nation ungovernable. Even after the Supreme Court decision, the NPP claimed they would not accord the president the respect he deserved.
Should that of the NDC and John Mahama be different? There are faint hearted and purists members of society who think by now NDC should be heading to court. This may be naive view of the situation. Be informed after gathering your facts, evidence and data in addition to videos, the legal team will have to go through case simulations with existing Supreme Court ruling, etc. This exercise is not an Olympic relay to be contested in Split seconds. It is a meticulous exercise that is allowed to be triggered within 21days after declaration.
The speech by John Mahama yesterday has increase his democratic bar above Nana Addo. He articulates his points and facts within acceptable democratic values. He did not incite people , he told the nation what the issues are and what he will do. This is a man we must respect. Those who think accepting the results means peace are deceiving us.
It was good John Mahama and NDC explained to the country. Some will be building conspiracy that John is building his strategy for 2024. If he will contest for 2024 that will be welcomed. But that has nothing to do with rejecting the results.
The strategy by the government is to deploy people, journalists to start attacking John Mahama with some asking him to protect his democratic credentials. This is just a strategy as started by Manasseh Awuni.
The NDC and John Mahama are not afraid of accepting results when they are fair. John Mahama won the 2020 elections and still has the trust of the nation even for 2024 so let nobody deceive himself by bringing in 2024.
Contesting presidential elections results is largely political. Please check the membership of the Supreme Court well. John Mahama can decide he will not go to court because of the membership of the Supreme Court and he is right. However, after thorough analysis the party should choose to go to court to establish historical reference point in case it doesn’t go well at the court.
The strategy is that the government has started deploying so called eminent people to start engaging the running mate, senior party leaders to start talking down Mahama. Watch out .
Vincent Caleb Yitadana
Bono East