Elections in Africa have mostly been characterized by tension, violent clashes, allegations and counter allegations of rigging, intimidation, among others. Ghana has had its ‘fair share’ of this unfortunate development before, during and after elections in Ghana. The 2012 General Elections for instance witnessed a similar fate which led to the opposition New Patriotic Party filing a suit at the Supreme Court culminating in an eight months long ‘legal gymnastics’ at the Supreme Court which was aired live on television for citizens of Ghana to view.
During the period, some phrases and terms became popular in the Lexicon of Ghanaians including; “amicus curae” “pink sheets” “You and I were not there” “contempt” “over voting” among many others. The Supreme Court ruling went in favour of the Respondents but with a call on the Electoral Commission to undertake several reforms in the way they conducted elections.
This year’s general election is very crucial and unique in many respects and it requires every possible attention from all stake holders in order for it to be hitch free. The stakes are much higher and this year’s general election may probably be the most competitive and ‘acrimonious’ of all elections since 1992 for a number of reasons. However, I believe we can get it right if we all play our cards well and we will come out of the elections with our heads up and once again hoist our flag as the beacon of democracy in Africa.
The referee for the election (The Electoral Commission) has a new Commissioner. Some may see her as ‘inexperienced’ because she is new and this election will be her first major election. Some may even see her through the ‘lenses of gender’, thinking that because she is female, she may not be strong enough or firm, thus some may explore the chance of pushing her to a breaking point in order to prosecute their agenda because political parties have interests which they will want to advance at all costs. But so far, the Electoral Commissioner has proven that she is up to the task. Perhaps more ‘tougher’ than many thought resulting in some calling her all kinds of unprintable names especially after some presidential aspirants were disqualified.
The disqualification and the many law suits brought against the EC created some uncertainty on whether the elections will be held on December 7. Thankfully, the Supreme Court ruling culminating in the window of opportunity for the disqualified aspirants to alter and re-submit their nomination forms has cleared that uncertainty. With many of the legal hurdles cleared and in order to make the 2016 general election credible, free and fair, devoid of any minuscule of violence, all stakeholders must work very hard and prepare adequately for December 7. Indeed, all hands must be on deck.
This year’s general election may be Honorable Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo’s last shot at becoming president considering the fact that he is ‘advanced in age’. Thus, the NPP will put in all the resources and energy they can marshal in order to seal a victory. If they don’t win the elections, it will mean that they will be in opposition for more than eight years and this may not be an easy pill for the NPP to swallow considering the fact that since we ushered in the 1992 Constitution, NDC 1 governed for eight years, after which NPP took over for eight years. NDC 2 is about to complete eight years although their first term was headed by Professor John Evans Atta Mills who met his untimely demise and the then Vice President, H. E. John Mahama had to take over. He won the 2012 General Election and after almost serving his first term is seeking re-election for his second and final term. He will not want be a one term president so together with the NDC, they will also do everything possible within their means to win the elections.
The other ‘smaller parties’ on the other hand will also do their utmost best to make their presence felt in this election. It is to be expected that, they will put up a strong fight that may send the election into a run-off so that they can become an ally to any of the two leading parties that may give them an ‘offer’ they cannot reject.
With the election close-by, the campaigns have become more intense and the political temperature is rising very fast. We have seen and heard of pockets of violence in various constituencies. Debates for parliamentary candidates have turned into fist fights, health walks have turned violent, there are allegations of ‘rigging mechanisms’ being hatched to give some candidates unfair advantage over others, among others.
The campaign trail of the two major political parties, have also witnessed many “royal” and “celebrity” endorsements. But I dare say that, endorsements alone are not enough to win elections. Parties must move beyond their party members who make all the ‘noise’ and get down to the people who really decide the winner. They are called “The Silent Majority”. They normally do not make much noise or announce avowedly what bothers them or who they will vote for. They express their concerns through the ballot box. Those are the real king makers. So any party that is very keen on winning the election must knock on those doors, go on a house-to-house, door-to-door campaign, have a one-on-one time with these people, appeal to them and make their policy proposals known to them and be very honest about it. Don’t make phantom promises which you know, just as these people also know you can’t fulfil when given the nod.
The EC must be very fair and firm at this crucial time in all its dealings and it must purge itself of any iota of doubt and suspicion. Electoral officers must be well trained and must be seen to be on top of their game. Their posture and utterances must not be seen to favour one party over the other.
The media, a very key partner in the election must also be very circumspect in all their reportage. The truth, fairness, balance, must be the driving forces behind any reportage. The airwaves must be sanitized to prevent it from use by some selfish persons to incite violence. People with the tendency of making wild unsubstantiated allegations that have the tendency of causing fear and panic must not be given the platform by any media house to spew words which will not unite and build but tear down.
All political parties must call all their supporters to order and conduct themselves in a manner not to breach the peace the country is currently enjoying. The message of peace, love, tolerance, and respect for one another must be trumpeted in all Churches, Mosques, and at all gatherings.
The political party that is likely to win the election is that party that has prepared itself adequately. It is that party whose message resonates well with the people. It is that party that majority of the people can trust or lend their power to, to govern them for the next four years. It is that party that is working very hard and has the blueprint to turn Ghana’s economy around. It is that party which is not complacent and depends on opinion polls because, if opinion polls were an accurate way of predicting, elections, Hillary Clinton would have won the just ended American elections. ‘Nobody’ including myself, really thought that Donald Trump would win the election. Many influential Republicans even denounced him but it looks to me, he knew exactly what he was doing and a statement he made during his victory speech makes me think so:
“As I have said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign, but rather an incredible and great movement made up of millions of hardworking men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their families. It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religion, backgrounds and beliefs who want and expect our government to serve the people and serve the people well”
So for the parties that may be depending on opinion polls, expert predictions and political prophecies, it may be wise for you all to have a rethink because Donald Trump’s win defied opinion polls, endorsements, prophecies and other expert predictions and this for me must be a lesson for all politicians.
It is worth mentioning that, some people may use this election as a smoke screen to settle old scores so the Security Agencies must be very alert and more visible, strengthen their intelligence gathering mechanisms in order to prevent crime before, during and after the elections. Crime does not wear a political vest, so anybody caught to have breached the law irrespective of his political affiliation must be dealt with in accordance with the law without fear or favour.
To the ‘political prophets’, I wish to entreat you to be very circumspect in the kind of prophecies you churn out. Predicting or prophesying the outcome of a crucial election such as this one can have some negative effects. Such prophets must remember that members of their churches belong to different political parties. When a so called electoral prophecy does not come to pass, some members may think, there was rigging which can spark agitations considering the fact that many of our people are ‘religiously gullible’.
To the people who have decided not to vote in this election, I entreat you to reconsider your decision. One out of every three persons I have spoken to so far about this year’s election tells me they will not vote. But we must all understand that every single vote counts. Remember our system is first past the post (50% + 1) and one person’s vote may be that special vote to decide the winner in this election. Your vote is a loud declaration for maintenance of the status quo or a change and you cannot blame anybody for the outcome of the election if you don’t vote. The NCCE, EC, media and other civil society organizations must step up their voter sensitization and education campaigns to reduce the incidence of rejected or spoilt ballots as we still have many of our people who are ‘illiterates’ or ‘uneducated’.
Finally, it is important for all stakeholders in this year’s general elections to understand that, violence has never proven to be the best solution to any problem. Violence always leaves in its wake devastating consequences. We must all seek peace and pursue it. In all our dealings before, during and after the election, we must remember that we have one Ghana and we must strive to put Ghana first. All utterances, comments and actions that will provoke violence or threaten the peace must be eschewed. Whatever we do must be to strengthen our democracy and not to derail it. In that respect, everybody must think twice about anything before he does it. Any action which is fueled by “gbeshie” “kpokpogbligbli” or the like will only jeopardize the peace we enjoy. Peace is a priceless gift and we must guard it jealously. May God Bless Our Homeland Ghana and Make Our Nation Greater and Stronger.
The writer is an international award winning Author, Founder/Executive Director of Human Rights Education Africa (an NGO committed to human rights education, advocacy, research, counseling)