General News of Monday, 4 September 2017
Source: AccraFM.com
2017-09-04
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa,MP for North Tongu
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that it is needless for a section of the Ghanaian public to be trolling former President John Mahama who led the Commonwealth Observer Mission to observe the elections in Kenya.
The Supreme Court on Friday, September 1 canceled the presidential election results in Kenya. Citing irregularities, the Supreme Court said a new poll should be held within 60 days.
Reading the decision – reached by a majority of four to two among the judges – Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August poll had not been “conducted in accordance with the Constitution”, contrary to the clean bill of health given it by the various observer missions led by former US Secretary of State John Kerry, former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and Mr. Mahama.
John Kerry, who led the Carter Center observer mission, said: “The process that was put in place is proving its value thus far. Kenya has made a remarkable statement to Africa and the world about its democracy and the character of that democracy. Don’t let anybody besmirch that.”
The AU mission, led by Mr. Mbeki said it found the polls to be “largely peaceful and credible”.
A section of the Ghanaian public, following the Supreme Court ruling, mocked Mr. Mahama and other observers who claimed the polls were free and fair.
However, speaking on Accra News on Monday, September 4 Mr. Ablakwa said: “All these comments being made about former President Mahama are not fair. There are principles or protocols that international elections observers are guided by – that is the Standards of International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation.
“If you read this standard you will realize that [former] President Mahama has not violated any international protocol.
“We must all know that this appointment of [former] President Mahama by the Commonwealth was due to the collective achievement of all Ghanaians and we must be proud of that rather than trolling him.”
He added: “We need to know that today it is [former] President Mahama at the center of it, tomorrow it could be former President Kufuor. International assignments are about Ghana and so we should not mix NDC and NPP with these kinds of assignments.”
