Coming to power via any other means than the ballot box is wholly unacceptable – Akufo-Addo
Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who doubles as the chairman for the Economic Community of West African States has reiterated his advice to his fellow presidents to stick to the term limits their various countries constitutions stipulate instead of massaging the electoral process to hold on to power.
As a firm believer of democracy, he believes the only legitimate means one can come to power is through the ballot box.
Speaking at the ECOWAS high-level seminar in Winneba, Nana Addo assured the sub-regional body of his resolve to ensure term limits in the various countries are adhered to.
He affirmed this by saying “recessing to power by any other means other than the ballot box remains for me, wholly unacceptable no matter your sensible justification. This viewpoint is strongly affirmed by the ECOWAS supplementary protocol and democracy and good governance which we are all duty-bound to protect.”
“The protocol quite brightening, frowns on shortcuts to power other than through the ballot box. It, therefore, remains a duty of community institutions through constant interactions with all stakeholders to lay alarm bells whenever they feel things are going towards the wrong direction,” the president added.
Speaker of ECOWAS parliament Dr Sidie Mohammed Tunis praised Ghana’s democratic credentials and Akufo-Addo’s role in ECOWAS. He also added his voice to Akufo-Addo’s plea to the continent’s leaders over term limits by condemning leaders who amend constitutions and employ sham elections to prolong their stay in power in the strongest terms possible.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
