On Thursday, 27th December, 2018, Ghanaians in some affected parts of the country turned out in their numbers to give virtually unanimous assent to the reorganisation of the nation’s regional governance structure, so as to bring Government closer to them, and, thereby, accelerate their socio-economic development.
This is the first time, in a constitutional era, that regions are being created under constitutional provisions. In each of the six affected areas, the threshold as stipulated in the Constitution for the creation of a region to succeed, i.e. at least 50% turnout of the registered electorate and at least 80% of votes cast in favour, was convincingly and spectacularly met.
The will of the people determined the outcome of Thursday’s referenda, and I congratulate the people in the soon to be created regions of Ahafo, Bono East, North East, Oti, Savannah and Western North for the dignified, peaceful manner in which they exercised their franchise and constitutional right.
The new leadership of the Electoral Commission is to be commended for passing its first test by ensuring the holding of free, fair and transparent referenda. The security agencies and members of the media are also to be applauded for the invaluable roles played towards the success of this exercise.
I thank the members of the Brobbey Commission, led by the noted jurist, Mr. Justice S.A. Brobbey, a retired member of the Supreme Court, for the thorough and painstaking work the Commission did, which resulted in the recommendations that, yesterday, received overwhelming, popular endorsement.
The Ghanaian people, by this singular process, have again demonstrated to the world their deep attachment to the principles of democratic accountability and the rule of law. It is a harbinger of that national transformation into the free, open, democratic state that is at the core of our national aspiration for freedom and justice. We are chartering new paths in the growth and development of our country, and I am confident that, together, we will put our nation onto the path of progress and prosperity.
As we enter a new year, let me, again, wish all the people of Ghana a happy and prosperous 2019. May God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.
……signed……
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President of the Republic
Source: 3news.com
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The reason is simple, if you are an ediot you keep commending referees before a match that involves you. A wise person will simply commend the EC as an institution and not commend the new commissioners he appointed. It's just common sense.
When I wrote my pieces, I knew very well that the NDC supporters were going to hurl insults at me. They lack the ability to stay to issues and argue constructively their opinions out. If I have the constitutional mandate to appoint EC-Chairpersons and I do so competently and see they are determined to perform their duties independently and diligently. Why should I withhold to commend them just because am the President who appointed them to that office? Well, one might find it not diplomatic to commend them, on the other hand, one could find it expedient to do so just to boost their working morals. Both ways are mutually exclusive depending upon what you want to achieve with it. The President chose to encourage his appointees to work hard instead of being diplomatic so as not to hurt those whose term for the same office had passed. In fact, I had heard the President praising Mrs. Osei and Dr. Afari Gyan before. I think, at this juncture, I can say that I have made my point clear enough for any sane person to make sense of it. Hence, I can be confident that, even the NDC supporters would this time come to their senses.
AFARI GYAN DID CREDITABLY WELL DURING ALL HIS YEARS IN OFFICE. YET WHAT DID WE HEAR FROM NPP? STOLEN VERDICT AND MASS RIGGING WERE ALL ASSIGNED TO AFARI GYAN. NOT A SINGLE PRAISE. CHARLOTTE OSEI IMPROVED MUCH ON ELECTION 2016 TO GIVE NANA AND NPP "VICTORY". BUT TELL ME TODAY, WHERE IS CHARLOTTE OSEI? IF YOU CAN READ AND UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN THEN YOU ARE COVERED. AND IF YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD PEOPLES CONCERNS IN THE VARIOUS COMMENTS THEN YOU SHOULD BE READY TO ADVISE NANA APPROPRIATELY.
I don't see the head and tail of what you are talking about. You reason as if you just came out of jhs, i guess you did. The advice people are giving the president is to stop praising the new EC and address the EC generally without using words such as the new EC. If he begins to praise the new EC bossses he appointed, it could be misinterpreted to mean they are his friends, since he never for once commended Charlotte or afari gyan for anything right they did. If he continues to shower praises on the CJ, EC NEW BOSSES it is easy to conclude they would lose their independence. For crying out loud, you are not a civil society group, you are the appointing authority and you are likely to be a candidate whose election the EC would supervise. You don't praise a referee who will officiate your match before the match is played. It gives room for speculation.
Yeah, Nii, you might be right. Sometimes it is, indeed, expedient to withhold your optimism but I confess, Mrs. J. Mensa has won over my confidence. And I believe and hope that she lives up to my expectations. The good start has been made and she will keep it up.
It's too early for anyone particularly Nana Addo to praise the EC Chairperson and her team. It's said that if the cassava is bad, it is fire that can prove it. So let's wait for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections to ascertain the competence or otherwise of the new EC Team. In the time being, it's too early to call.
It is really a mind-boggling to engage NDC in constructive debate. The EC Chair was elected by the President, though constitutionally it functions independently just like the CJ. Mrs. C. Osei was duly appointed by JM. and she was sacked by the petition of his Co-workers requesting the President to do so. You could appreciate that the President did not just stand to say, Mrs. Osei, I don't like your nose so I sack you just as it is done in the Banana Republic. It is, indeed, instructive to note that the two EC Chairpersons who petitioned the President to sack Mrs. Osei were appointed by the NDC-Administration. I am of the opinion that our President Nana Addo had a good Leadership instinct to have selected Mrs. J. Mensa as the new EC- Chairperson to replace Mrs. Osei and am glad that the President shares my opinion. And yet the great NDC has lost its reasons!
Give applaud when is due Nana Addo is doing fantastically well in my opinion. No matter how hard he tries some people will not appreciate him. Jealousy will kill haters.
Stop this undignified justification and stupiiiiiiiiid defense of the president. Do you people think Ghana belong to only NPP folks. A duly appointed EC chair has been removed from office buy this president and he is still trying so hard to justice a decision that will reoccur when NPP is out of government and here you are applauding that stupiiiiiiid decision in disguise.
The EC chair is not an employee of the president. Same way the CJ is not. You cannot applaud them for an exercise with videos showing unprofessionalism and poor work done. And that's only the videos we've seen. You cannot do that as president of you have nothing to hide. The clearing of alleged malpractice is becoming too many for this leader.