Ghana's elections free, fair, peaceful - Obasanjo
The Head of the AU/ECOWAS Observer Mission, Olusegun Obasanjo, has described Ghana's election as free, fair and peaceful.
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He expressed the confidence that the results of the December 7, 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections would be credible.
Mr Obasanjo, who is a former President of Nigeria, made the remarks Sunday when he called on President John Dramani Mahama at his Cantonments residence in Accra.
The observer team was at the residence to inform the President, who is the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), about the end of its work.
Present at the meeting was Vice-President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur, the Chief of Staff, Mr Henryb Martey Newman, Interior Minister, Mr Kwasi Aboah, and the Minister of Defence, LT Gen Joseph Henry Smith.
Mr Obasanjo said the free, fair and peaceful conduct of the elections had further enhanced Ghana's enviable democratic credentials.
"This election is another block on the edifice of this country," he stressed.
Mr Obasanjo intimated that elections were supposed to be events that should come and go without any disturbances and
expressed the hope that Nigeria and other African countries would take a cue from Ghana.
He thanked the Ghana Government for giving the team the opportunity to come and observe the election and wished all Ghanaians well.
President Mahama for his part, commended the Mission for a good work done, and said the former President was more than qualified to lead the team.
He said the government would be ready to work with the team's preliminary and final reports on the elections.
President Mahama described the election as "relatively peaceful and successful."
He said despite the fact this was the first time that Ghanaians were using the biometric system of voting, coupled with the technical glitches with verification machines, voters had the patience to vote.
President Mahama said the peaceful conduct of the elections "is a credit to all Ghanaians" since the technical challenges could have sparked some disturbances in other juridictions.
He also thanked the other presidential candidates for their collaboration.
President Mahama said the peaceful and successful conduct of the election had shown that Ghanaians were prepared to consolidate Ghana's democracy.
He said this was the African century, and expressed the hope that "Africa will rise to the occasion."
The President said the NDC had a fair idea about the trend of the election, and indicated that as a law-abiding party, the NDC would allow the Electoral Commission (EC) to declare the results.
He said the NDC was ready to accept the verdict of the EC.
Story by Musah Jafaru Yahaya Jafaru
