NPP to Withdraw Petition

After boycotting his swearing-in ceremony amidst name callings and mounting of controversy at the Supreme Court with claims of electoral fraud, the opposition NPP is setting the grounds to beat a retreat as it declares Mahama as the legitimate president.

The party’s Communication Director and former Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, Nana Akomea, has stated categorically that the NPP as a party recognises Mahama as the peoples choice although they do not agree with the results.

“We haven’t said we do not recognise the legitimacy of President John Mahama, we don’t agree with the results, but we recognise his legitimacy. He is the President...we recognised that...” Nana Akomea stated in an interview with an Accra based broadcaster.

The statement is in sharp contrast with earlier actions and remarks made by the party’s kingpins, particularly its flagbearer which sought to cast a slur on the integrity of the 2012 General elections.

Speaking in a ‘Point Blank’ interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Nana Akomea further stated that, “we would get on with normal parliamentary business, vetting of ministers, scrutiny of bills and so on are normal parliamentary businesses and they would get along with that.”

When his attention was drawn to the contradictions between his position and that of other NPP leaders, Nana Akomea insisted that, he is the Communication Director and for that matter the mouth piece of the party.

Nana Akomea noted that as the head of the communication team of the NPP, he states the position of the party on issues and not any other member of the communication team.

A petition to the Supreme Court, dated December 28, 2012, which had the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo; his running mate, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, and the Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, as petitioners stated, among other things, that irregularities recorded at some polling stations favoured the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and thus makes Mahama an illegitimate President.

According to the petitioners, 24,000 of the pink results sheets from some polling stations indicated that those irregularities were enough to affect the outcome of the presidential election.

Asked by Richard Sky, the programme’s host, the sense in boycotting something they see as legitimate but do not necessarily agree with , the NPP Communication Director noted that, ‘but boycotting doesn’t mean you don’t recognise’.

“But boycotting doesn’t mean you do not recognise, I am sure you are aware of that...you are a senior parliamentary correspondent. Boycotting does not mean you do not recognise, the NDC boycotted the decision for the National Health Insurance...today they are saying they are the people that have done wonderful things with the National Health Insurance...boycott is just a normal tool for parliamentary proceedings.” Nana Akomea further explained.

This assertion by Nana Akomea however, exposes the party’s action against the Electoral Commission and the President, John Mahama as a grey knight given that the NPP had made claims earlier that the EC’s declaration on December 9 was an illegality, a subversion of the constitution and the will of the people by making John Mahama President, hence do not want to be part of it.

Earlier on Monday, January 14, the Deputy Director of Communications for the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoah, in an interview on the same platform, Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, stated that the NPP is focused “on the challenge and the import of our challenge to the authorities of the government is that even though the President has been sworn in and inaugurated, his political legitimacy is inconclusive to the extent that the Supreme Court can still destool him.”