According to him, Charlotte Osei’s decision to disqualify PPP’s presidential candidate, Papa Kwesi Nduom ahead of the 2016 polls negatively affected the party .

[contextly_sidebar id=”vsF9eArjZISZs6xZ2APHozBDxf51NqXC”]Papa Kwesi Nduom and eleven other candidates were disqualified over some mistakes on their nomination forms ahead of the 2016 general elections.

Following a legal tussle that resulted in the Supreme Court ordering the EC to allow the affected candidates correct the errors and resubmit their forms, Nduom and two other candidates were subsequently allowed to amend errors on their forms hence given the nod to represent their parties in the 2016 polls.

Speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue Nana Owusu indicated that the PPP would have performed better if the party’s candidate was not disqualified.

“One of the key things had to do with Charlotte Osei’s issue and how she hurt the PPP’s campaign. All the resources and energy we put in. Going to the ground, making our case to the people, fighting our fight, then the referee becomes the player and the referee is the one who did us in. The CPP is still suffering from the scars of Charlotte Osei’s illegal activity towards us. She is one of the reasons the PPP did not fare well because we had so much momentum.

“Barely a month to election, here goes Charlotte Osei saying that our presidential candidate has been kicked off the ballot and she adduced fraud to our documents that we submitted. Fraud can only be adjudged by a competent court….We were not given opportunity to state our case.”

Nana Owusu, who lost in the parliamentary elections in the Effutu constituency to Afenyo Markin said Charlotte Osei was also responsible for his loss.

“…Charlotte Osei has done a lot of damage to me personally and my career as a politician and the resources I expended at the time. She came and blindsided me in the process.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Charlotte Osei caused our defeat – PPP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A statement from the office of the former President indicated that “some members of the party are seeking to solicit information from executives and members of the NDC, claiming that they are being sponsored by the Office of HE John Dramani Mahama.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”8QDG9zZo4gLx66WCRoQG4kd27ymOojRQ”] The statement , which was signed by special aide to the President , Joyce Mogtari, advised the culprits to desist from such acts, saying “we wish to strongly advise them to desist from such acts of impersonation and misinformation, particularly as we all continue to work towards reorganizing the party across the country.”

The statement further indicated that, the President “had not constituted any team to undertake a post Kwesi Botchwey Committee survey” as it is being reported.

The 13-member Kwesi Botcwey committee set up by the NDC to probe its defeat in the 2016 election presented its findings to the National Executive Council (NEC) in June.

As part of its recommendation, the committee asked the party to take a holistic look at the party’s biometric electoral register.

The statement from the office of the former President is below

The Office of HE John Dramani Mahama wishes to inform all members, supporters and sympathisers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Former President has not constituted any team to undertake a post Kwesi Botchwey Committee survey.

We have over the last week received reports from across the country about the activities of some members of the Party seeking to solicit information from executives and members of the NDC, claiming that they are being sponsored by the Office of HE John Dramani Mahama.

We wish to strongly advise them to desist from such acts of impersonation and misinformation, particularly as we all continue to work towards reorganizing the Party across the country.

Joyce Bawah Mogtari Special Aide Monday July 10, 2017

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Don’t use my name for personal interests – Mahama warns appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This, he said, made it difficult for the party to have a full grasp of the turf when the NPP had begun churning out electoral results.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lw2orUakNHXOf3LZu8tV94T8Ij3mAuYd”]His comments follow the release of the Kwesi Botchwey Committee report that recommended among other things, measures that could improve the collation of election results by the party.

Speaking to Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku, the Wa Central MP, Rashid Pelpuo, said NDC just gave away the 2016 elections per the party’s own posturing to certain key elements in electioneering.

“As at the time NPP was churning out results and claiming victory, the NDC had not gotten a grasp of what was happening. Our system even broke down and we could not assess the results the NPP was getting, neither could we see what we were even getting so there was a problem there. Our ability to utilize technology to understand what was happening and to be able to get into the depths to know the votes that we got, was lacking, and that eventually was one of our setbacks. Even if you are losing, you still need to know that you are losing. We were being told we were losing from our opponents and we did not have enough information to counter it. .. There was a technological deficit. There was inadequacy in technology in responding to the challenge at the time and I believe it is one of the areas that will be tackled  in the very near future when we are going into the next election.”

He said going forward, the party should be “up to date in technology and be able to transmit results more efficiently” to secure victory in the 2020 elections.

The 13-member committee set up by the NDC to probe its defeat in the 2016 election, presented its findings to the National Executive Council (NEC) on Monday.

As part of its recommendations, the committee asked the NDC to take a holistic look at its biometric electoral register.

The 55-paged report, titled, ‘listening to the grassroot’, said the NDC must take urgent steps to restore the integrity of the register.

Speaking at the presentation of the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, expressed hope that the recommendations will help capture power for the NDC in the next elections in 2020.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post NDC collation system broke down during 2016 polls – Pelpuo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Alluding to the process involved in fixing a faulty vehicle, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, a former flagbearer hopeful, said the NDC is equally a “broken party” that is devising measures to revive itself for the 2020 general elections.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KBJj0I81QqzU2gzi8lMkwTY4imgLM6On”]“The situation in our party is really one of building the party and letting it recover from a very severe electoral loss. It is just like driving a very good car and the car has an accident and it needs to be fixed so the first thing you want to do is take it to the mechanics and let the electricians do their work, check the transmission, take care of the brakes, the shock absorbers, then when the car is in a good condition almost any driver can drive it and potentially bring it to the victory line.”

““… If the car has broken down and you put the best driver in the car, the car cannot move and the car will certainly not win a race so our concentration now is to help the Kwesi Botchwey committee and the party secretariat.”

Mr. Garbrah also asked Ghanaians to stop the speculation about the party’s defeat and wait for the committee’s report.

“There is a committee of very fine brains going round to collate concerns and when they file their report we will all see where they claim or think the problems went.”

President John Mahama was defeated by the New Patriotic Party’s Nana Akufo-Addo in the December 7 elections, in what many have described as the worst performance put up by a sitting President in an election.

The NPP Flagbearer secured the presidency after a third time, beating the incumbent, President John Mahama with 53.85 percent of valid votes cast.

A 13-member NDC committee was subsequently set up to diagnose the party’s loss and make useful suggestions.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline,com/Ghana
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According to him, the former president cannot be blamed because he provided good counsel which could have kept them in power if they had listened to him.

“I don’t think the former president should be blamed for anything because this is somebody I’ve been with at a very close range and worked with and I don’t think he needs to be blamed for whatever situation we are in now. He gave us all the needed advice, whatever it takes for us to remain in office. If at a point he kept quiet, he wasn’t coming out again, I don’t see why he should be blamed for whatever situation we are in now as a political party,” he added.

[contextly_sidebar id=”SsZw9DNaUiMKzfuurxcxhkQr4bpFrSw4″]Afotey-Agbo made the comment in response to the Greater Accra Regional Organizer of the NDC, Anthony Nukpenu, who accused the party’s founder of contributing to their loss.

According to Nukpenu Mr. Rawlings painted the NDC as corrupt, which the New Patriotic Party (NPP) capitalized on to campaign against them.

“We as a party we have a founder in the person of Jerry John Rawlings and as party members we felt he should be a protective cover for the party and the government but he chose to arm the opposition against us.  The NPP got to our heels by campaigning against us heavily on this so called corruption perception and anytime they made that claim they claimed that the founder of the NDC is the one who said the president is the most corrupt person and his appointees are very corrupt so they should be voted out. So if you have this message being used against you by your political opponents and courtesy the founder of your party it goes a long way to affect your political fortunes. And that has been one of the tools that have heated us to have this humiliating defeat,” he argued.

But speaking on Eyewitness News, the outgoing Greater Accra Regional Minister said Nukpenu’s assertion cannot be true because Mr. Rawlings did nothing wrong.

He further blamed their defeat on some District Chief Executives who he said failed to offer the needed services to their constituents.

“We cannot even blame anybody for our loss. If we had done things well at the various levels, if some DCEs had behaved well and had been on top, being at the service of the people when they were needed, I don’t think we will lose some of the seats especially in the Greater Accra Region and other parts of the country,” he added.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Leave Rawlings alone; he didn’t cause our defeat – Afotey Agbo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Camara is one of over hundred journalists and activists exiled abroad because of Jammeh’s repressive rule and the lack of press freedom.

Opposition politicians, journalists and activists in the Gambia, have been randomly arrested and jailed, tortured or killed in the small West African country under Jammeh.

Camara was forced to flee two years ago after a series of arrests following several stories he published including one on human trafficking in that country.

“In 2014 November, I went on a trip to Nigeria and we had a transit in Gambia and I had to step out and breathe the fresh air of Banjul. That was all I could do. I haven’t been to Gambia since I left in August 2014. I have been staying here in Senegal and my family and my kids are all in Gambia” he told Citi News.

With the ousting of the “oppressor” through the ballot, Camara is looking forward to reuniting with his family and practicing his profession in freedom.

“People have fought very long and very hard and made a lot of sacrifices to make sure that a day like this is realized. Personally, I am very excited. In fact, it is mixed feelings. I can pursue a future in a very free Gambia. I can return to my family and be with them. I can choose to work in Gambia or Senegal, but either way, I know things will never be the same again” an elated Camara said.

There have been fears the man who had ruled the Gambia with an iron fist for the past 22 years, will cling to power either through fraud or violence.

Instead, reports from the Gambia say he conceded defeat in a phone call he placed to the incoming president, Adama Barrow, with words like, “congratulations, I am the outgoing president; you are the incoming president”.

Despite the victory and the seeming air of freedom, Camara says a lot more work needs to be done “in order for us to have a free and democratic Gambia”, adding that “defeating Jammeh is just the first step”.

“The sacrifices people made; being victimized for what they believed in…we will not allow that to happen in Gambia again. So the task is not finished”, he added.

Adama Barrow, 51, will be the third Gambian president since the country attained independence in 1965.

By: Eugenia Tenkorang/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Jammeh’s defeat a great relief – Gambian Journalist appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

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