The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Ghana President Mahama concedes defeat
Accra, Ghana | AFP |
Ghana’s President John Mahama called opposition Nana Akufo-Addo on Friday to concede defeat and congratulate him on victory in the country’s hotly contested election, a party official said.
“Yes he has conceded defeat,” George Lawson of Mahama’s New Democratic Congress (NDC) party told AFP, after Wednesday’s nail-biting poll, seen as a test for a country generally viewed as a beacon of stability in west Africa.
Ghana’s president-elect @NAkufoAddo delivering his victory speech. #SABCNEWS #GhanaDecides pic.twitter.com/DfmnJe3Tqg
— Sarah Kimani (@sarahkimani) December 9, 2016
In the end Akufo-Addo won the presidential election with 53 percent of votes cast, said the country’s electoral commission, whose head Charlotte Osei pronounced Akufo-Addo’s victory Friday evening, calling it her “privilege”.
The erudite 72-year-old human rights lawyer’s victory tapped into an electorate fed up with economic fiascos and corruption scandals, on a platform promising to boost growth and deliver jobs.
In the garden of Akufo-Addo’s house in the country’s capital of Accra, a jubilant crowd — almost all in head-to-toe white, a symbol of victory — had been dancing on the lawn for hours.
At one point, they broke out in an enthusiastic a capella rendition of Ghana’s national anthem.
Outside in the streets, a crowd of hundreds dressed in NPP colours of red, white and blue blowing horns and whistles had been gathering for hours.
The high stakes race between Akufo-Addo and incumbent Mahama has been seen as a litmus test of the stability for one of Africa’s most secure democracies.
RELATED STORY: Ghana’s veteran runner-up Addo has a third go
A few minutes ago, I received a call from President @JDMahama congratulating me on winning the 2016 Presidential Election. #ChangeHasCome
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) December 9, 2016
