Former President John Dramani Mahama has said he refused to accept the results of the 2020 elections because of his principles.
Addressing the nation on Wednesday December 30 after he filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the results of the polls, the Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said “Increasingly, many of us who are trying to understand how the Electoral Commission arrived at the results of this last election are being advised to forego the issues in the interest of peace.
“We are being reminded that Ghanaians are a peace loving people and Ghana unlike many other nations on our dear continent of Africa have not succumbed to war or been plagued with violence.”
He further indicated that he loves Ghanaians and will therefore not do anything to jeopardize the peace of the nation.
“As a former president of Ghana , a county that I loved dearly , I am here to assure you that I know what it is to act in the interest of peace . I have always done so without reservation or hesitation. I know what it is to contest an election and to have the good people of this country choose my opponent to serve as their next president .
“I know what it is to concede. I have done so before. In 2016 when the elections was not called in my favor , I conceded . I concede in a congratulatory call to my opponent and then moved on after that , I concede in a public address to the good people of Ghana . I conceded not simply in the interest of peace and democracy but because I respect the will of the people. I did then and I still do now .
So when I say that I will not concede this election, please know that I am not taking this decision lightly . I understand that it is not because of a desire for power, but because of dedication to principle and commitment to democracy.”
The petition he filed, among other reliefs, seeks a rerun of the presidential elections, asking the Court for an order to restrain Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Second Respondent, from holding himself out as President-elect.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana
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