Thousands of Ghanaians both home and abroad are jubilating over the victory of the president-elect, His Excellency Dr. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo but one person I would want Ghana to hail and celebrate is the outgoing President, His Excellency Dr. John Dramani Mahama.
The Electoral Commission (EC) declared Nana Akufo-Addo the winner with 53.85% of the votes, while President Mahama took 44.40% and this is a history in our democratic dispensation.
All over the world, people have started congratulating Nana Akufo-Addo but I am of the view that we should not shelve the sacrifice that President Mahama has done for our dear nation, Ghana.
As a young man who has ruled for just four-year thus one term, and the fact that he is the first sitting President who has lost an election, it would have been easy to say I will hold on to power which could have turned the fortunes of the nation but like Jesus, he scarified his presidency for Ghana and Africa.
I recalled that President Mahama told the world on Friday December 9th that he would respect any verdict by the EC and truth to his words, he called the President-elect to concede defeat and to congratulate him and here, let me quote what the President-elect, Nana Addo posted on his official facebook:
“A few minutes ago, at 7:51pm, the President of the Republic and the NDC presidential candidate, H. E. John Dramani Mahama, called me on the phone to congratulate me on my victory in the presidential election of 7th December 2016.
He wished me the best of luck and God’s blessings, and assured me of his full co-operation in organizing the transition from his administration to mine.
I thanked him for this graceful gesture, which is in the finest traditions of Ghanaian statesmanship and, on my part, assured him of my cooperation for a successful transition.
I also thanked him for his service to our nation and said that I felt sure that his contribution to the welfare of our Republic was by no means over”.
Folks, President Mahama has done a great service to Ghana and I doff my hat to outgoing President for not being selfish by holding on to power which could have disturb the peace of the nation.
The reason why I am saying this is that, the stakes were high. Tension was everywhere, even between spouses. The nation was not moving. Nothing could be seen moving. There was calmness everywhere. Offices were like cemeteries because no one knows what would happen next. Folks, everything was static when the two leading parties in the contest claimed victory.
Two press conferences by the two leading parties, New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the dawn of Thursday soaked the tension. They all held press conferences to claim victory and it continued until Friday.
The head office of the EC was the center of attraction. All the party big wigs trooped to the place adding to the tension. A walk through town reveals people were either watching TV or listening to radio to hear what the EC Chairperson, Madam Charlotte Osei would tell the nation. Funny comments like “enti Charlotte Osei otwen dien, Charlotte Osei yabre wo, Charlotte Osei pese owia mu ma Mahama”, among others were on the lips of almost all.
Until around 7:55pm when the news broke that President Mahama had called Nana Addo to congratulate him, the nation was not of herself.
Then the jubilation began across the country with vehicles blowing their horns all over and then followed by the formal declaration by the EC. Then the tension capsized and calm returned even though jubilations continued.
But in all these, folks, I have one person at heart, who is President John Mahama. He deserves all and every respect from every Ghanaian and the world at large. I am sure this will bring a lasting peace into the nation because President Mahama has followed what his predecessors like former President John Agyekum Kufuor and Jerry John Rawlings did.
For me, what he did is the greatest and he will forever earn my respect and praise.
The writer is a producer with Onua 95.1FM, Accra
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