Tain, key to presidency

(Mirror, Saturday January 3, 2009)
THE Tain Constituency of the Brong Ahafo Region shot into national prominence yesterday as a crucial run-off election was held there to finally decide who takes over the mantle of leadership from President Kufuor on January 7.
Two sepatate elections held on December 7 and 28, failed to produce a clear winner.
In the first election held on December 7, none of contenders was able to garner more than 50 per cent of the votes required for an outright win while in the December 28 run-off, the closeness of the figures required that the election in the Tain Constituency was held.
The re-run was between Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Professor John Evans Atta Mills, former vice president and candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In the first round, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo obtained 4,159,439 votes, representing 49.13 per cent of the votes, while Prof Mills garnered 4,056,634 votes, representing 47.92 per cent of the votes cast in 229 out of the 230 constituencies.
The election in the Tain Constituency could not take place during the run-off due to circumstances beyond the control of the EC.
Although Prof Mills led in the run-off with 4,501,466 (50.13 per cent) as against Nana Akufo-Addo’s 4,478,411 (49.87 per cent), the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, declined to name a winner due to the closeness of the polls and hence the need to conduct the outstanding election in the Tain constituency.
The results announced last Tuesday, therefore, came from 229 out of a total of 230 constituencies throughout the country.
Giving reasons why the commission could not announce a winner at a press conference held in Accra, Dr Afari-Gyan said because of the closeness of the results, it was necessary for the commission to conduct the election in the Tain Constituency since results from that place could make a difference in the standings of the contenders.
The EC chairman also indicated that the commission was going to conduct investigations into allegations of electoral irregularities in Kumasi in particular, and some parts of the Ashanti Region as well as in the Volta Region, where both the NDC and the NPP had made some allegations against each other.
He said the NDC had produced evidence on the alleged irregularities but the commission was yet to receive any from the ruling party.
Earlier before the announcement of the results, media personnel from all walks of life had waited for more than four hours for the arrival of the Chairman of the EC.
Journalists who converged at the EC’s conference room awaiting the announcement from Dr Afari-Gyan had a hectic time competing with their colleagues and political party agents for space.
With an earlier assurance that the announcement would be made at 12.00 noon, some media personnel got to the EC premises as early as 9.00 a.m. but had to wait till about 5.00 p.m. amidst speculation as to what was going on.
The acting Head of the Public Affairs unit of the EC, Mr Owusu Parry, earlier announced that the Chairman was in a meeting with leaders of the two political parties and would meet the press at 2.45 p.m. but journalists had to wait longer than the scheduled time.
The atmosphere at the conference room which accommodated both local and foreign journalists, observers and political party agents, mostly from the NDC was tense as information from colleagues who gathered courage to go outside was scary.
The street in front of the EC offices and the Ridge Hospital in Accra was “hijacked” by a large crowd of NDC supporters who sang and danced.
For fear of an attack by the crowd, there was tight security in and around the EC offices but in spite of that, a large crowd of political party supporters managed to get into the conference room when the EC chairman finally came in to address the press.