The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has served notice that it is not afraid to lose the 2016 elections.
[contextly_sidebar id=”x5WVZbW0dHeRPdP8c6bgoh7xeyGXu8QX”]The party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia disclosed that the 2016 election is not the NDC’s “main purpose of being in government.”
He asked: “Why should a democrat be afraid of the outcomes of elections? If you are afraid of any outcome of elections, then you are not a democrat; then democracy is not your place. Wait for something else!”
Since the main opposition leader in Nigeria, Mahamudu Buhari was declared winner of the country’s fiercely-contested presidential elections, some supporters of Ghana’s main opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been drawing parallels between the factors which led to his victory and similar factors which they say will guarantee victory for their party in 2016.
Nigeria’s President-elect, Buhari after four attempts won the presidential elections at the age of 72 while the 2016 presidential candidate of Ghana’s NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo will make his third attempt at the Presidency at age 72.
This, according to some NPP supporters signifies that Nana Addo will win the 2016 general elections.
Other factors people are basing their predictions on are the ages of the President’s of the governing parties in both countries; Goodluck Jonathan and John Mahama who are both aged 58.
Also, Jonathan and Mahama took over the reins of power when their President’s; Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Professor John Mills died in office and both won their first elections.
But Asiedu Nketia on TV3’s New Day programme said: “I don’t see any such parallels between Nigeria and Ghana at all.”
He described persons drawing parallels between the outcome of the just ended Nigeria elections to that of Ghana’s 2016 elections as “lotto forecasters.”
He was of the view that democracy “must have space for people who behave like lotto forecasters and dreamers.”
Mr. Nketia stated that all political parties in Ghana can attest to the fact that during an election year, there are a “number of soothsayers, dreamers and other people who will visit your offices about their dreams…they are all part of the comic relief in the democratic game.”
The NDC General Secretary observed that Ghana as a nation has been earnestly working to demystify power and the alternation of power so that “when it comes to elections, people don’t panic, people don’t scared, it doesn’t affect businesses and so on.”
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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