Nigeria Moves to Stem Violence in Ghana

[tengallons]

234next.com

Tension builds as anxious supporters await election results at the Electoral Commission's headquarters in Accra, Ghana.
Nigeria moves to stem violence in Ghana

By Maya Oluwafemi

December 31, 2008 08:33PMT

Nigerian diplomats intervene to prevent possible violence resulting from the run-off presidential elections in Ghana.

Nigeria's High Commissioner to the country, Musiliu obanikoro met a cross-section of party leaders , ECOWAS officials and outgoing President John Kuffuor urging them to help douse the simmering tension, and to let peace reign.

He also held meetings with candidates of the two leading parties, Attah Mills (NDC) and Nana Akufo-Addo (NPP), as well as with ex-president, Jerry Rawlings, who as NDC candidate was a two-term president.

Obanikoro had said that he believed the run-off election which took place on December 28, was free and fair. Nigerian High Commission's spokesperson, Mr. Simon Eze, told NEXT that the meetings were an appeal to all parties involved to maintain peace and accept the outcome of the run-off election results.

The announcement of the results, which was scheduled to take place at 1200GMT, is yet to be made. The delay is brewing anxiety, and there are allegations of plans to "fix" the figures in favour of the ruling National People's Party (NPP).

The BBC reported that police fired warning shots into the air to disperse a crowd that converged at the election headquarters demanding the release of the results; adding that international observers, who have given the polls a preliminary clean bill of health, have also urged all parties involved to accept the results peacefully.

Hundreds of National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters besieged the Electoral Commissions headquarters yesterday, according to the BBC, demanding that their candidate, John Attah Mills, be declared the winner.

On Monday, December 29, the Electoral Commission released results obtained from 219 of the 230 constituencies which revealed that Mr. Atta Mills had won 52 percent of the votes, while his rival, Nana Akufo-Addo, had won 48 percent.

The run-off election became necessary when none of the eight presidential candidates in the December 7 election won the mandatory 50 percent of total valid votes cast.

Mr. Akufo-Addo of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) party won 4,159,439 votes, the highest number of votes, but with 49.13 percent, he did not make the required percentage. In second place was John Atta Mills who won 4,056,634 which represents 47.92 percent.

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, however, has recently stated that Mr. Akufo-Addo has a slight lead based on results from 229 constituencies.

http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites...olence_in.csp#

©2008 234next.com. Timbuktu media.

[DeepThought]

Ha! Ha!! Ha!!!

Isn't it a bit early for April?

[Auspicious]

Mmm...Mmmm...Mmmmmuahahahahhaahahahahaha!

Heeeeheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheehe!

Hoooohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho!

Teeeehihihihihihihihihihihihhihihihihhihihihihihih ihihihihi!

Olorun Gbawa Lowo Awon Naijeriya wonyi Oooooo!

Lord deliver us from disey Nigeriyans Ooooooo!

AuspY.

[tengallons]

Nightmare scenario.
__________________________________________________ ______________

Posted on Thu, Jan. 01, 2009
Ghana ruling party threatens to boycott revote
By FRANCIS KOKUTSE
Ghana's ruling party threatened to boycott a district's presidential revote Friday that could decide the African country's next leader. But there was no indication the vote would be canceled.

Ruling party spokesman Arthur Kennedy said Thursday the situation in the western district of Tain is not conducive to a fair vote because the party's supporters were being intimidated.

"The election is supposed to be free and fair and as a result, under the current circumstances ... we won't take part in the election," Kennedy told The Associated Press.

Voters in the tiny district were unable to vote in a tight runoff Sunday because of problems distributing ballots to polling stations there.

The Electoral Commission said the national vote count was so close, Tain could end up deciding the winner. Opposition candidate John Atta Mills leads by about 23,000 ballots out of around 9 million cast, election officials said. There are 53,000 registered voters in Tain - the only of Ghana's 230 constituencies not yet tallied.

Both sides have claimed irregularities in other districts as well, and those claims may be introduced in court and postpone the announcement of a winner.

Electoral officials could not be reached Thursday about whether Tain's revote would go ahead as scheduled. Local television and radio gave no indication of possible violence in the district, where the situation appeared normal.

But the ruling party said the situation in Tain was tense.

Ruling party member and deputy information minister Frank Agyekum said "there is too much intimidation of our supporters" in Tain. Neither he nor Kennedy elaborated on the claim.

Partial results from the Election Commission so far give Atta Mills 50.13 percent and governing party rival Nana Akufo-Addo 49.87 percent.

Both 64-year-old lawyers educated in Britain, the candidates are vying to succeed President John Kufuor, who must step down after serving two terms.

Akufo-Addo campaigned on his party's success in driving the economy of the world's No. 2 cocoa producer and the latest African nation to discover oil. Atta Mills accused the governing party of corruption.


© 2009 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

[godfather]

GHANA: "Hello kettle"

NIGERIA: "Hi pot"

[No Smoking]

Sad to read that Ghana is sliding back to the quagmire of African elections. The graceful step-down of the outgoing President after his two terms is praiseworthy.

Even the Mayors of New York since 2001 have been unable to walk-away gracefully after two terms; always coming up with lame excuses to be allowed to stay-on.

The Nigerian High Commissioner must count himself lucky to be allowed to mediate in Ghana, seeing as Nigeria is hardly a role model in hitch-free electoral processes..

Tne 234Next.com reporter cannot even get the correct name of the NPP, variously described as the ruling National People's Party (NPP) or the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP)

[igalaman55]

I fear for the people of Ghana....they are allowing IWU and his cronies to determine their election.George Weah has the scars from the Liberian democratic outing,midwifed by OBJ and co.

[Docemo5]

I thought charity ought to begin from home. The last time I checked, we have not been able to prevent such from happening here. Na Wa for Niageria. I go die o

[No Smoking]

Abeg O. Anywayz, now that Ghana has done it successfully, maybe Naija should contract out the 2011 elections to the Ghana Electoral body to conduct on our behalf...

[peterosa]

Nigeria steming violence in Ghana when we have fire in Nigeria that no man have been able to quench{na waooooooooooooooooooooo for Nigeria people}