Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged President-elect, John Mahama to step in and prevent NDC supporters from gathering at collation centers with offensive weapons, in a bid to maintain peace and order.
Tensions are running high in Ghana following the December 7 elections, with reports of violence and intimidation at collation centers. In some areas, supporters of rival parties have clashed, resulting in injuries and damage to property.
Dr. Bawumia’s comments come amid these rising tensions, as some supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) allegedly gather at collation centers, disputing parliamentary results and protesting delays in announcing winners in certain constituencies.
In Dr. Bawumia’s statement, he strongly condemned the actions of some NDC supporters who allegedly stormed collation centers and declared their parliamentary candidates as winners without waiting for official confirmation. He described these events as “lawlessness” and “thuggery” on innocent citizens and state institutions.
Dr. Bawumia also emphasized that such behavior threatens the very foundations of Ghana’s democracy, highlighting the importance of respecting lawful processes and the institutions that oversee the electoral processes.
“I wish to call on the President-elect, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to exhibit statesmanship by reining in his supporters in order to preserve the peace and unity of the country. There have been many incidents of NDC members besieging collation centres with offensive weapons to forcibly declare NDC parliamentary candidates as winners of some parliamentary contests. We believe that this is not in keeping with the democratic culture we are all trying to nurture,”the statement read.
Dr. Bawumia expressed concern over President-elect Mahama and the NDC’s silence on the troubling post-election violence. He also highlighted that this violence has targeted NPP members and supporters, escalating to destruction of state institutions, private homes, and property, as well as death threats.
Dr. Bawumia also stressed that the President-elect must ensure the protection of state properties and lives, emphasizing that Mahama won an election and did not stage a coup d’etat.
