Abuja. As Ghana’s opposition candidate John Mahama smarts from a show-down in the aftermath of the just concluded presidential elections, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has pushed for peace and prioritisation of national interest above partisan stands.
Mahama of National Democratic Congress (NDC) on December 10, 2020 rejected the results of the election in which the incumbent, President Nana Akufo-Addo of New Patriotic Party (NPP), was returned for a second term of four years.
Sensing trouble, President Buhari today (Friday) appealed to other contestants to put national interest above personal and partisan considerations.
He urged them to maintain the peace, while seeking resolution for grievances through legal avenues.
Challenging election results could test the stability of the West African nation, where previous electoral grievances have been pursued through the courts.
The electoral commission declared Akufo-Addo had won with 51.59 per cent of the vote, ahead of Mahama with 47.36 per cent.
“I stand before you tonight unwilling to accept the fictionalised results of a flawed election,” Mahama told a news conference recently.
Mahama, a 62-year-old former president, claimed that “numerous steps have been taken to manipulate the results of the election in favour of the incumbent.”
“Armed forces featured heavily as an intimidating measure to reverse election results,” he said.
Akufo-Addo’s NPP won 137 seats in parliament and Mahama’s NDC won 136. Mahama and Akufo-Addo are long-standing rivals and this was their third election battle.
In a statement in Abuja by Mr Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), President Buhari congratulated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his re-election.
He said that with the right institutions and political leadership, constitutional democracy in the West African sub-region is here to stay.
Buhari noted that Nigeria and Ghana share close historical and cultural ties, adding that he looks forward to working with his Ghanaian counterpart in realising shared goals that bring peace, security and prosperity to the citizens of both countries.
