With less than a week to
the December 7, 2016 general elections, issues of missing names in the ‘special
voters’ register to be used for the special voting today and the bribery
allegations against the incumbent National Democratic Congress’ (NDC)
presidential candidate by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) dominated the
headlines of various news media for today.
Daily
Graphic has the caption
“Uphold Ghana’s democracy on December 7…. Kofi Annan, JJ urge voters”. According to the paper two of Ghana’s
global icons have enjoined all Ghanaians to
uphold the democratic credentials
of the country
when they cast their
ballots on Wednesday , December 7, 2016. A former UN Secretary General
Mr. Kofi Annan and a former President of the Republic. Flt Lt Jerry
John Rawlings in statements ahead
of the country’s presidential and
parliamentary elections
acknowledged some challenged in the past but expressed the conviction that once
again Ghanaians would conduct
successful polls. According to
Mr. Annan, ‘’As Ghanaians, we all know that our
country’s much vaunted
democratic reputation has been at risk before, but
we have always pulled back
from the brink in time to preserve peace, stability and prosperity.
Today,
Daily Guide and the Ghanaian Times carry the headline “Media,
Security Persons Vote-In Special Voting”. According to these papers,
in spite of the initial confusion
that ensued over the number of people cleared to vote through special voting, journalists,
security agencies and some essential service providers will today vote ahead of
the December 7, polls. While the Electoral Commission (EC) insisted only 65,001
people have been approved to vote today, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) said the
list which they received from the commission suggested that about 114,000
people will vote under the special voting arrangement.
The Daily Post also carries the
headline “We’ll deal with NPP’s allegations
in Court –Bawa Mogtari” The governing
National Democratic Congress
(NDC) is threatening to sue the New
Patriotic Party over the Bugri
Naabu bribery allegation against President
Mahama and his brother Ibrahim.
The NPP on Tuesday claimed President Mahama bribed its Northern Regional
Chairman, Bugri Naabu to engage in a smear campaign targeted at the NPP’s presidential
candidate Nana Akufo-Addo. But speaking
to Winston Amoah host of 3FM
Sunrise show spokesperson of the
NDC 2016 campaign
team, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, discredited the NPP’s claim as more propaganda to tarnish the works
of President Mahama who is seeking re-election.
The
Ghanaian Times with the headline “Don’t Take Pictures of Ballots”,
says that the police has warned
voters to desist from taking pictures of their thumb printed ballots and making
them public. The act, according to the police, constitutes a serious offence
and anybody caught will be severely dealt with. “voting is a secrete and it
must remain as such irrespective of one’s affiliation to a particular person or
party,” the Director-General of Police Operations, Commissioner of Police (COP)
Christian Tetteh Yohuno, gave the warning in an interview with The Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday.
We conclude today’s
newspaper review with the headline in the
New Crusading Guide “I Will Deliver Ghana…From Poverty- Nana
Assures Asanteman”. The Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has reiterated his and the party’s
commitment to expand Ghana’s economy by setting up and fulfilling the policy
goals set out for implementations. According to him, NPP government will not
over burden Ghanaians with high tariffs. However, his government will reduce
the existing taxes to help companies increase revenue and employment.
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