Retract 'do or die' comment - Dr Asante urges Mahama
The Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante has urged former President John Dramani Mahama to recant his comments that the 2024 elections will be a "do or die" at polling stations.
Such comments, he said, should not have been made by a former President and a presidential candidate of a recent election that cost seven lives in 2020.
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That message, he explained, could be misinterpreted by followers of political parties and lead to a worst situation in 2024.
"The last message that I expect from a former President and former presidential candidate is that people should be prepared to lose their lives given that after many years of relatively peaceful elections we are coming out of one that cost seven lives," Dr Asante told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
"Violence will not help anybody. I really hope that he will find another platform and correct himself even if what he said was in jest," he stated.
Advice
Dr Asante called on all political parties to contribute towards improving the transparency in the collation of results at the polls.
"We have to do something about results collation, speed and transparency. That should be the focus of any political party, the focus should be on reforms because violence will not help anybody," he stated.
Context
Speaking in a radio interview in Techiman in the Bono East Region on Tuesday (September 7, 2021), Mr Mahama stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had learnt its lessons from the 2020 election and will be very vigilant at polling stations during the next general election in 2024.
Speaking in the Twi language with the Techiman based radio station, Akina FM, Mr Mahama stated that the 2020 elections taught the NDC that elections could only be won at polling stations, thus they would not let their guard down.
He said the NDC would not want to cheat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and would equally not allow the NDC to be cheated, but rather want transparency so that the will of the people would be done.