There were times over the last few days when i wondered about our future.
I knew that some of our institutions were “suspect” to say the least and with raised tensions, massive and at times polarised security, unnecessary press conferences, citizenry armed, misleading result information and evidence of mistakenly or intentionally wrong election data.
The emergence of untruths and dodgy rumours meant that as the media failed us, the EC site mysteriously crashed and various live feeds were not the real deal. We were, seemingly on a course of possible violence and anarchy.
The fact that we didn’t owes more to the natural self restraint of the Ghanaian citizens than to the various institutions established to legitimise both the process and peace!
Given the sad ethnocentric theme which kept rearing it’s head throughout this election (more so than others) we need to be lauded for the present peace.
What i find extremely fascinating, given many factors, was the restraint shown by the apparent loser Nana Akuffo Addo. Given the information which was quickly emerging about numbers fraud in some areas. It would have been easier for a determined and ambitious politician like Nana Akuffo Addo to decide to make allegations of fraud, cheating and conspiracies publicly prior to the EC’s announcement last night confirming John Dramani Mahama as victor but he didn’t.
The fact that he didn’t and chose to seek redress through other means is what makes this process workable in our context.
The future is still uncertain but what is important is that peace is maintained even in the context of any allegation.
Ghana after all must always come first!
Herbert Mensah 