NPP never accepts defeat when they lose - Asiedu Nketia

The General Secretary of the ruling NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia says the NPP's rejection of the 2012 election results was not surprising because the party had always questioned every election since Ghana returned to democratic rule.

According to him, it is only one election (1996) that the NPP deemed credible and conceded defeat making the party "apostles of rejection of electoral results".

The opposition NPP has rejected the results of the 2012 general elections declaring John Mahama as winner and has petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate the declaration of president Mahama as winner.

The party also boycotted the inauguration ceremony of president Mahama noting that attending the event will undermine its case in court.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s current affairs Programme Ekosii-Sen on Friday, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said, “Rejecting and questioning of credible elections has always been the character of NPP. Since the days of Nkrumah that Ghana started democracy, they have never conceded defeat in any election. They accept results of elections whenever they win so their conduct after the 2012 election is not surprising to me at all. The only one they conceded defeat is that of 1996 but that came with conditions. The only election I saw them concede defeat is in 1996 when Kufuor really told us that he clearly lost but apart from that, they have question all the others”.

“Under the UP tradition, JB Dankwa rejected election results, Prof. Adu Boahen did it under Rawlings, Akufo-Addo with Mills so we must know those we are dealing with. The NPP has the penchant of rejecting any result that didn’t go their way so we are aright with their posture and will vigorously challenge them in court,” he added.

He took a swipe at the 2012 presidential candidate of NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo describing him as having the penchant for rejecting election results.

He said, "You see, all of us must know that in democracy anyone can win or lose an election and must be ready to accept defeat. But it looks as if someone has the penchant of resisting electoral results all the time which is not good for our democracy at all so that person must change in order to clear his name”.

The NDC scribe commenting on the NPP’s boycott of the inaugural ceremony of president Mahama, said it meant nothing because their absence was not felt. He added that the NPP’s boycott prevented a possible stampede at the event grounds.

“The NPP’s boycott of the event meant nothing to me because it prevented a possible stampede. Their absence was not even felt; they were put to shame by the colourful event. The NPP must know that democracy is not all about structures, big suits and big English but knowing how it is played well. So if they want to be part of it, they must know the advantages and disadvantages of it,” he asserted.