Former Nigerian Vice President and six-time presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, has commended Ghana on its recent presidential elections, asking Nigerians to learn from the “smooth conduct” of the polls.
The former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate shared his opinion on the just-concluded polls while congratulating the winner of the election, Nana Akufo-Addo in a message shared on Twitter.
“Congratulations to President @NAkufoAddo on his reelection. The smooth conduct of the Ghana elections should be an eye-opener to our nation,” the message read. “We must undertake far-reaching electoral reforms that address the shortcomings of our previous experiences and strengthen our electoral process.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ghanaian electoral commission announced that Ghana’s incumbent President Akufo-Addo had secured a second term in office. According to the commission, Akufo-Addo received 51.59 per cent of the votes in the presidential race, beating opposition leader and former president Mahama’s 47.36 per cent.
In a victory speech on Wednesday, the president-elect and leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) addressed his jubilant supporters, as well as members of the opposition, calling for peace. “Now is the time, irrespective of political affiliations, to unite, join hands and stand shoulder to shoulder,” 76-year-old Akufo-Addo said.
The opposition party has also rejected the results and said it will appeal the electoral commission’s decision.
Meanwhile, although observers viewed polling as generally free and fair, Ghana’s police force has said five people were killed and 19 injured in election-related violence.
Why It Matters
As other African countries such as Guinea, Uganda, and Tanzania continue to grapple with violence leading up to or following their elections, Ghana’s seemingly hassle-free election process has recorded fewer casualties than that of its peers. Signalling change, the conduct of Ghana’s elections could set the blueprint for 2021 polls across the continent. However, it is left to politicians like Abubakar to adopt clean campaign practices devoid of thuggery and election fraud in future Nigerian elections.
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral and political reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
