Election rigging in Ghana is like ‘gonorrhea’; we have to live with it – Sekou Nkrumah

Election rigging in Ghana is like ‘gonorrhea’; we have to live with it - Sekou Nkrumah

Sekou Nkrumah

The son of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah is of the conviction that there is no solution to the malpractices that has marred Ghana’s general elections over the years.

According to him, rigging of elections in the country has permeated deeply into our body politic such that it would be very difficult to alleviate it.

Sekou Nkrumah was commenting on the ongoing hearing of the substantive case of the Election Petition brought before the Supreme Court by leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The 2012 presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo and two others are challenging the outcome of the election which named John Mahama as winner.

The three petitioners have cited various irregularities, malpractices and omissions and are praying the Supreme Court to overturn the verdict of the Electoral Commission in their favour.

However, on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Tuesday, Sekou Nkrumah opined such irregularities has persisted since 1992.

He said even after the NPP wrote the stolen verdict after the 1992, nothing has changed because the NDC in 2004 also complained of malpractices.

Sekou Nkrumah was of the opinion that Ghanaians have to live with malpractices and rather manage it in future elections.

He likened the trend to gonorrhea; a sexually transmitted disease he claims cannot respond to antibiotics.

“Election irregularities or rigging has become like gonorrhea today because now it is not responding to the antibiotics. I don’t think it [election rigging] has a cure and so we have to live with it and manage it”.

This not withstanding, Sekou said the NPP’s challenge of the 2012 election results is an eye opener to many Ghanaians.

“We are all witnessing a historic moment [because] we are getting a lot of education and exposure about what goes on in elections” he added.

Sekou Nkrumah said the Election Petition is helping both NDC and NPP to find a lasting solution to the problem.