President Nana Akufo-Addo: The Election Is A Ghanaian Election, Not West African Election

                                 

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, in his address to the nation on Monday, warned that the oncoming election on the 7th of December is only for Ghana citizens and that non-Ghanaians should not participate. He also warned that only Ghanaians eligible to vote should enroll in the new voters' register.

In President Nana Akufo-Addo's words; “The election on 7th December must be a Ghanaian election, not a West African election, conducted with a voter register of Ghanaians. That is the only way the true will of the Ghanaian people can manifest.”

“Using your God-given and constitutional rights costs nothing but staying home can come at a very steep price. The pandemic, notwithstanding, we have to strengthen Ghanaian democracy,” he said and added that “It is, thus, vitally important that all eligible voters register, so, on the designated day of 7th December, they can vote to choose the President of the nation, and the Member of Parliament of their area. In effect, our vote, our thumb, is the expression of our individual sovereign power as a citizen, which we should cherish and guard at all times.”

According to President Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s Constitution makes no provision for the extension of the mandate of a President beyond four (4) years, and that “To exercise executive power in the Ghanaian state, you must be duly elected by the Ghanaian people. You must have their freely-expressed consent. On 7th January, 2021, when my mandate as the current President expires, a duly elected person must be ready to be sworn in as President of the Republic.”

“There is no other way, and, in order to forestall any needless constitutional controversy, which could throw our nation into jeopardy, we must vote on 7th December 2020. The same applies to Parliament. We should not fear or be alarmed. Despite the COVID pandemic, elections are being properly conducted in many nations across the globe”, he stressed.