Preventing Minority from presenting petition sad for Ghana’s democracy – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said the prevention of the Minority in Parliament from presenting their petition to the Electoral Commission (EC) was sad for Ghana’s democracy.

The opposition lawmakers on Tuesday December 22 embarked on a demonstration to protest the 2020 parliamentary and presidential elections results which they described as “flawed”.

The MPs left Parliament House and marched towards the EC’s headquarters but were stopped by the police around the Ridge Roundabout in Accra.

A scuffle ensued as the MPs tried to make their way through but the police resisted.

The MPs demanded that they be allowed to go present a petition to the Electoral Commission Chair, Jean Mensa or a representative from the EC, but the police would not budge.

In a statement, Mr Mahama who was the presidential candiadte of the NDC in the 2020 elections said “Tuesday was a sad day for Ghana’s democracy when the Minority Members of Ghana’s Parliament were prevented from presenting a petition to the Electoral Commission in respect of the recent Parliamentary election in Techiman South. But let me congratulate the Minority Leader and the Caucus for stepping out boldly in defence of the democratic rights of Ghanaians.

“The conduct of the Electoral Commission (EC), with the tacit support of the incumbent President, Nana Akufo-Addo, using security personnel acting capriciously even towards Members of Parliament is not something anyone could have envisaged in our beloved country in the course of our 4th Republic.

“Clearly the EC and its Chairperson are in connivance with Nana Akufo-Addo to fraudulently keep the Techiman South seat on the NPP side. This is a clear subversion of the will of the people.  I salute all who have had courage to call out the EC and the Nana Akufo-Addo administration in this brazen act of trampling on the democratic will of the people.

“I want to restate our challenge to the EC, to come out and show Ghanaians their Results Summary sheet and pink sheets for the Techiman South Constituency.”