Under the moonlit skies victory smelled like Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male. The euphoria had spread her antennae bouncing around. It was all over the place—north, south, east and west as thousands thronged the streets of Ghana’s capital Accra to celebrate the election of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday the 9th of December 2016.
It was a victory that had come after long hibernation in ‘Siberia’ for members and supporters of the largest opposition party in Ghana –the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its flagbearer. And it’s the Elephant’s second victory in 24 years since the Fourth Republic reports author Gordon Offin-Amaniampong.
Nana Akufo-Addo won more than 53% of the votes cast on Wednesday the 7th of December to defeat the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama who becomes the first one-term president in the Fourth Republic.
Mr. Mahama also leaves the presidency as the second youngest– at age 58. Former president John Rawlings left office as the youngest at 53 and the oldest was John Kufuor at 70 in the republic. Late president John Mills died on the 24th of July2012 at age 68, while in office.
In his victory speech two days after the election, the President-elect who is also a consummate lawyer said: “There have never been a more humbling moments in my life and I thank you, the good people of Ghana, for this massive show of support and the confidence you have reposed in me and my party. I make this solemn pledge to you today- I will not let you down and will do all in my power to live up to your hopes and expectations.”
You are to be commended for the mature, peaceful and orderly manner in which you, once again exercised your democratic franchise. The democratic credentials of our nation have been further enhanced by your conduct, he stated.”
Who is Mr. Akufo-Addo?
He was born on the 29th of March 1944, the son of former president Edward Akufo-Addo. The President-elect had his primary education first at the Government Boys School, Adabraka (a suburb of Accra) and later at the Rowe Road School (now Kimbu) also in Accra. He left for England to pursue his O-level and A-Level education at Lancing College, Sussex.
In 1964, upon his return to Ghana, he went to the University of Ghana, Legon to read Economics where he earned a BSc (Econ) degree in 1967. He subsequently studied law in the UK and was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971.
Indeed he has an impeccable resume or curriculum vitae (CV). He’s a lawyer by occupation, a career politician, a legislator, freedom fighter, a father, a husband and proud citizen of Ghana.
Mr. Akufo-Addo was elected three times between 1996 and 2008 as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abuakwa South Constituency in the Eastern region of Ghana. From 2001 to 2007 as a cabinet minister—first as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice for two years and later as Foreign Minister for five years
In the historic 2016 presidential election, he polled 5,341,143 votes (53.51%) as against Mr. Mahama’s 4,457,672 (44.56%), the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana announced.
His election is significant as it culminates the rule of the Johns in the Fourth Republic of Ghana. For nearly four decades (spanning from the 31st December 1981 to the 7th of January 2017 inauguration of the President-elect) the West African nation has been ruled by four Johns. The first was flight Lieutenant John Rawlings, John Kufour (2nd), John Evens Mills (3rd) and John Mahama (4th) the out-going president.
Father and son President
Another remarkable thing about this election is that, the second president of the second republic of Ghana Mr. Edward Akufo Addo was the father of the fifth president-elect of the fourth republic (and the 14th since independence) Nana Akufo-Addo.
This happens to be first in Ghana’s political history and the second in the ECOWAS sub-region. Tiny Togo, Ghana’s neighbour to the east was the first to elect a president’s son—President Faure Gnassingbe’ (in May 2005) the son of General Gnassingbe’ Eyadema who ruled the francophone country for nearly 40years.
Mr. Edward Akufo Addo who ruled Ghana under the second republic from the 31st of August 1970 to 13 January 1972 was overthrown by the Supreme Military Council (1) led by Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. Under the second republic Ghana practised the Westminster system or the parliamentary system of government—which had Prime Minister Dr. Abrefa Busia as the head of government or business and Mr. Edward Akufo-Addo the President who performed ceremonial functions.
The President-elect (the 72-year-old politician) had failed in his two attempts at the presidency (in 2008 and 20012) against presidents John Mills and John Mahama respectively. But fate knew what he was doing. Destiny had a purpose for him and on Friday the 9th December 2016 (third time lucky) he realised his childhood dream.
Transition Team
In furtherance to the provisions of the Transition Act 2012 (Act 845), a day or two after his concession call President Mahama appointed seven members from the government side to help facilitate a smooth transition. The Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Attorney-General & Minister of Justice Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong and Finance Minister Seth Terkper made up the seven-member list.
The President-elect side included Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo (fmr. finance minister), Mr. Albert Ken Dapaah (fmr. interior minister) and Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey responsible for foreign Affairs that represented a nine-member team.
The team had a meeting on Sunday 11 December evening and was co-chaired by the out-going president and the in-coming president. And it’s believed they’d a successful deliberation.
During his concession speech Mr. Mahama said: “A few minutes ago, I made the most difficult phone call I have ever made in my life. I called the President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party to congratulate him on his well-fought and well-deserved victory in Wednesday’s election.”
The win has been emphatic. If anybody has reason to doubt the presidential results, the sheer magnitude of the defeat, which our parliamentary candidates have suffered is the clearest indication that we have outlived our welcome,” he underscored.
And I must add the president couldn’t state it better than that. Out of the 275 parliamentary seats the NPP bagged a total of 171, while the NDC had 104 seats.
The Daunting Task ahead
Perhaps former president Jerry John Rawlings drilled the message down or stated it better. While congratulating the President-elect he noted: “Your victory is a manifestation of the people’s desire for new leadership and it comes with enormous responsibilities including a commitment to pursue an anti-corruption drive across-the-board.”
Ghana faces huge challenges, many of which you promised to tackle during your campaign tours,” Mr. Rawlings wrote.
Public expectation of the yet –to-be inaugurated administration is huge. They want the Akufo-Addo-led government to reduce the high level of unemployment in the country, fight corruption, help defray unprecedented public debts, retrieve an amount of GHc51.2m from NDC bankroller and businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome, and revive the dying social intervention programmes the Kufuor-administration introduced —National Insurance Health Scheme, School Feeding Programme among and many more.
The in-coming administration has other ambitious programmes lined up in its manifest viz—the one district one factory and to build one dam for all the villages in the north, reduce corporate tax to 20%, charge a flat rate of 3.5 per cent from small scale medium enterprises (SME’s), removing import duties on raw materials and machinery for production, abolish the 17.5% VAT on domestic airline tickets etc.
It remains to be observed if the administration would live up to expectation. With due diligence, honesty and accountability a political observer told me, the astute politician would be able to accomplish the task by end of his tenure.
Mr. Akufo-Addo’s government will be doing business from the Flagstaff House— an edifice former president John ushered in (days after he left office in ’09) late president Mills after his inauguration on the 7th of January in 2009. He lost by an insignificant margin to his former classmate and learned friend prof. John Mills –49.77% and 50.23% respectively in a runoff election on the 28th of December 2012.
It was the closest election ever in Ghana’s history.
On the 7th December 2012 election, then NPP candidate Akufo-Addo came top with 49.135 and 47.92% for NDC John Mills.
Indeed Mr. Akufo-Addo will be steering the nations’ affairs from this beautiful edifice and also ensure that he guides his party the NPP to equal the NDC’s 16 out of the 24 years amassed since the inception of the fourth republic in 1992.
But above all, he can’t throw caution to the wind—Ghanaians voted for a positive change. And they expect nothing less than that–to see a real change in their lives. Change in their pockets and change in their social status. They expect a do-something government and not a do-nothing one, they expect a listening government and not an insensitive leadership. And like Oliver Twist they’re asking for more… not just more but more in its qualitative sense.
They said no to mediocrity, no to sycophancy, no to nepotism and cronyism, and they said no to corruption and pillage. Obviously, there are moles in every party. Every political party has its stubborn guys, and gold-diggers it’s my hope that the President-elect will sharpen his scalpel and nip such characters in the bud. Don’t let them grow sharp teeth…had I known is always at last.
I can’t conclude without congratulating all Ghanaians, the EC, the media, civil society groups, the security agencies, Peace Council, religious and traditional leaders and the NDC for making the 2016 general election another success story. Thank you to president Mahama for serving our country and congratulations to President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo.
I wish you well (Nana) and I pray the good Lord will give you the discernment and understanding to discharge your duties effectively and efficiently. We all look forward to seeing your administration put the country back on track.