Akufo-Addo and I painfully lost elections before but we prioritised Ghana's peace and conceded – Bawumia

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said although losing an election is painful, it is important for the loser to always put the country’s peace first.

Out of the 13,119,460 total valid votes cast in the recently-held 7 December 2020 polls, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) polled 6,730,587 votes, representing 51.302 percent.

His closest contender, former President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), polled 6,213,182 votes, representing 47.359 percent.

Mr Mahama and the NDC are, however, contesting the results.

They have described it a “fictionalised” and “stolen”.

The party has been holding demonstrations across the country to drum home its claim that the election was flawed and skewed in favour of President Akufo-Addo and the NPP.

Some of the demonstrations have been violent.

Speaking on Christmas Day at the Victory Bible Church International – Dominion Sanctuary in Accra, however, Dr Bawumia said inasmuch as losing an election is painful, Ghana comes first.

“Just about two weeks ago, the Ghanaian spirit of peace was, again, tested when we went to the polls for the presidential and parliamentary elections. And thankfully, by the favour and mercies of the Lord Almighty, we have accomplished that task peacefully”.

“Elections would usually come with winners and those who have not won but the battle has always been the Lord’s. So, I ask myself: if the battle is the Lord’s, who is the victory for? The victory can only be for the Lord. It is not for us because the battle is His”.

“So, at the end of the day, we have finished the election, we have given the victory to the Lord and it is a victory for Ghana and we should be proud of that.

“It is not always easy when you lose an election. The President, Nana Akufo-Adod and [I] have gone through painful moments of losing presidential elections.

“We lost one just by 40,000 votes in 2008 but we prioritised the peace and sanctity of our democracy first and conceded”, he recalled.

“So, I am very much convinced that the Lord, who granted us the will power to prioritise national cohesion, peace and tranquility over personal gratification, is capable and will do the same today for us. We just have to avail ourselves to be used by God as an instrument for peace.”

“Today, we are in the Dominion Sanctuary and we pray to God to grant us dominion over the acts of omission and commission that stand as threats to the unity and peace we enjoy as a nation”, he said.