By the grace of God, the work of the Electoral Commission, and the effective measures put in place by the Government, prophecies of doom did not materialize and all Eligible Ghanaians have been registered in the Voter Register, President Akufo-Addo has said.
According to him, some expressed various degrees of hysteria and negativity towards the exercise, with some, who swore heaven and earth to resist the compilation of the register at the peril of their lives, ending up registering.
He added that some offered delicate, personal sacrifices in the event of the register, again, ending up registering, And, some claimed that, amid a pandemic, the registration exercise should not be conducted, with some warning of an “explosion” in our case count and very high numbers of deaths, should the exercise go ahead.
He made this known as he addressed the nation from the Jubilee House on August 16, 2020.
“There were, nonetheless, deeply regrettable, isolated incidents of violence, which I condemn unreservedly, and which I expect the Police to deal with without fear or favor, but the exercise was generally peaceful.”
“The Ghanaian people have, by the conduct of this exercise, demonstrated our commitment, once again, to consolidate our status as a beacon of democracy on the continent and in the world. The professional Jeremiahs and naysayers, who seek, cynically, to make a profitable industry out of spreading falsehoods, fear and panic, stoking divisive, ethnic sentiments, underestimate the resolve and the determination of Ghanaians to build a united, democratic, peaceful, prosperous, and happy Ghana. We will continue to work hard to prove them wrong.”
The president said “On behalf of the people of Ghana, I congratulate warmly the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Jean Mensa, her two Deputies, Dr. Eric Asare Bossman and Mr. Samuel Tettey, and the entire Commission for the efficient, safe, transparent nature of the registration exercise, where, for the first time in our nation’s history, Ghanaians were provided with daily updates of the numbers of eligible voters registered, together with a specific age, gender, regional breakdowns, and breakdowns of identity documents. All eligible voters were given the unfettered opportunity to register, a process that was fully embraced by the mass of the citizenry. Of course, there were genuine and understandable concerns about conducting such a complex exercise, involving millions of citizens, at this time. But, at the end of the day, Ghanaians did their civic duty, by going out to register, having found that the process was overwhelmingly orderly, peaceful, and safe.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
