Placing 9th on the ballot means I'm a striker; Bawumia is a goalkeeper - Hassan Ayariga

Presidential Candidate of the All People Congress (APC) Hassan Ayariga has expressed his satisfaction with being placed 9th on the ballot paper in the pending elections.

Speaking in a recent interview on Hot Issues on TV3, he likened his position to that of a striker in a football march, noting that it positions him to score goals in the political contest. 

"That is a striker. If you are playing a game, like a football march and you are put in number 9, what it means is that you will be scoring the goals, and if you are number one, that means you are the goalkeeper, so you have to be ready for the striker. 

"So, NPP is placed number one; they are the goalkeeper, the government in power, and I am number 9, the striker, so it's going to be between the striker and the goalkeeper,"  he explained.

He continued, "If  I get the balls from numbers 6 and 7, number 8, I am sure wonders are going to happen in the 2024 general elections. So, I am happy with my position number 9, the month of September, number 9, for balloting, and so you can imagine what number 9 means to me. It means a lot and I am happy with that."

He also described the balloting process as strenuous, citing concerns about transparency.

"The exercise was a bit hectic. People were worried about the process not being transparent and credible. There was a banter between the NPP and the NDC representatives on the issue of why the NPP should look at the balls before picking. There was one ball that was in there that was different. So, when Fiifi Kwetey said the ball looked funny and he was debating that he is not hundred percent sure that the ball is correct, so they should just remove it.   "I am not worried about which numbers; Let's pick the number and campaign. people think sometimes it favours when you pick the first or last number.  I think we should just pick the number. I don't agree with picking the ball and holding it till everybody picks . I think there was some funny play", he stated.

On Friday, September 20, 2024, the Electoral Commission held a balloting event for the pending elections.

Dr. Bawumia, secured the first position on the ballot, while his main contender, former President John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress, placed 8th.

Below are the positions on the ballot paper:

Mahamudu Bawumia - New Patriotic Party (NPP) - #1

Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr - Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) - #2

Akua Donkor - Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) - #3

Christian Kwabena Andrews - Ghana Union Movement (GUM) - #4

Kofi Akpaloo - Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) - #5

Mohammed Frimpong - National Democratic Party (NDP) - #6

Nana Akosua Frimpomaa - Convention People’s Party (CPP) - #7

John Dramani Mahama - National Democratic Congress (NDC) - #8

Hassan Abdulai Ayariga - All People’s Congress (APC) - #9

Kofi Korateng - Independent Candidate - #10

George Twum-Barima-Adu - Independent Candidate - #11

Nana Kwame Bediako - Independent Candidate - #12

Alan Kyerematen - Independent Candidate - #13

JKB/OGB

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