AU CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR UNITY

President Yayi Boni of Benin is the African Union Chairman

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu & Rocklyn Antonio

Tuesday January 8, 2013.

Africa Union Chairman and President of Benin Thomas Yayi Boni is calling for peace and unity for Ghana after the inauguration of John Dramani Mahama and Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as 4^th President and 5^th Vice President of 4^th Republic respectively yesterday.

“The performance this afternoon shows a victory of the overall Ghanaian people. This is why we ask all actors of the political class and others, the average Ghanaian to get united to construct a country we act like actors on the political front to ask Ghanaians to stay united,” he said yesterday at the inauguration.

His call for unity comes in the wake of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) boycotting of the inauguration of President Mahama and his Vice.

The opposition is alleging that EC Chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan on December 10 called the results for President John Mahama in spite of opposition claims that the EC needed to investigate alleged manipulation of figures before the declaration since they suspected the results had been fixed.

According to the NPP, it had evidence that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) colluded with some election officials to fix the results in favour of President Mahama.

As a result, the NPP filed a petition at the Supreme Court with its presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and NPP Chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey as the petitioners.

President John Dramani Mahama, in his personal capacity as presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Electoral Commission (EC), the body that supervised the December general elections have been cited as respondents in the suit.

The Petitioners are praying that the highest court of the land to declare that “John Dramani Mahama was not validly elected president of the Republic of Ghana.”

They also want the court to declare that “Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 1st Petitioner herein, rather was validly elected President of the Republic of Ghana,” as well as “Consequential orders as to this court may deem fit.”

Amidst the confusion, President Boni on December 11, last year visited Ghana to get first hand information about the situation in his capacity as Chairman of the AU.

He returned again yesterday for the inaugural ceremony and still insists that the ruling party and the opposition to work together to build concensus.

After President Mahama’s inaugural address, President Boni mounted the podium and commended Ghana for consolidating its democracy saying “Ghana remains a pride for Africa.”

“Ghana is one of the founding fathers of OAU and AU. President Kwame Nkrumah demonstrated once more that his country is still the model economically and democratically.”

 He said good governance abound in Ghana and the conduct of the December 7 general election has been accepted by observers both local and international.

“The organization of legislative and presidential elections approved by thousands of national and international  observers is the testimony of political maturity of the people of Ghana and the expression of peace  to consolidate democratic values.”

“I on behalf of the whole African Continent and the people of Benin renewing my warm congratulations to John Dramani Mahama for the confidence the people of Ghana have reposed in him by electing him as the president of Ghana.”