A former Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama has challenged the Electoral Commissioner, Charlotte Osei to prove her critics wrong by demonstrating that she will be a fair arbiter in conducting the 2016 polls.
As a Lawyer and a gender advocate, Hajia Alima Mahama believes Ghana’s stability depends on the Electoral Commission’s commitment to conduct free, fair and transparent elections this year.
She exclusively spoke to Citi News at her private residence in Nalerigu where she has staged a comeback to wrestle the seat from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
She is emphatic the NPP will attractively win the 2016 polls saying, “I am emphatic that with or without a credible register we are going to win the elections.”
“Credible register will ensure fair elections but that notwithstanding if Charlotte Osei and her outfit insist that no credible register we are going for the elections and we are beating NDC.”
According to her, the EC must refrain from what she described as irresponsible acts which necessitated the landmark election petition after the 2012 elections.
She served notice that the NPP will resist any attempt to skew the electoral roll in favour of the governing NDC.
She claimed the Mahama led NDC administration has nothing new to offer Ghanaians.
“Ghanaians are waking up to the fact that governments must deliver and they must be responsible and they are recounting the things that the NPP did.”
Women’s low representation in governance
Hajia Alima Mahama decried women’s low representation in governance and attributed it to oppressive socio-cultural barriers.
She encouraged women to be bold by actively participating in partisan politics.
She also called for women empowerment as means of demystifying patriarchy which she observed has gained notoriety in most Ghanaian societies.
Despite contesting the seat Gambaga/Nalerigu seat with her direct cousin, Alhaji Baba Issifu on the NDC’s ticket, she touted herself as the people’s obvious choice.
She is satisfied with her achievements as a former MP which informed her decision to stage a comeback.
“In the constituency I brought the nursing training college which started as a certificate nursing training college and moved on to diploma and midwifery and now the nursing college has more than six thousand students.”
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana