An Electoral Commission packed with partisan appointees, a rigging machine of vigilantes and an incumbent unwilling to relinquish political power have been defied by the resilience of a man long written off by his opponent.
in a remarkable turn of events that etched a new chapter in Ghana’s political history, former President John Dramani Mahama has clinched re-election after eight years in opposition.
As the clock struck midnight on December 8th, 2024, a day following the voting day on December 7th, JM, a moniker held dear by his supporters, emerged as the President-elect with a significant winning margin surpassing 1.5 million valid votes – a resounding victory unprecedented in Ghana’s political landscape.
This substantial winning margin marks merely one among several historic firsts for Mahama.
Notably, he is the first former Ghanaian president to secure re-election, accompanied by another groundbreaking milestone of having Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang as his Vice President, the first female running mate and Vice President-elect in the nation’s history.
Amidst the jubilant outpouring of supporters flooding the streets nationwide, the celebrations serve as a fitting tribute to the formidable obstacles overcome by John Dramani Mahama, the fourth president of the Republic of Ghana, in his ascension to become the sixth president of the republic.
When Mahama accepted, for the fourth time, the presidential ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 election, he knowingly positioned himself against a government marred by corruption, violence, and illicit tactics of electoral manipulation.
This government, led by the obstinate and confrontational President Akufo-Addo, had vowed to resist any transition of power.
With the advantages of incumbency firmly in place, President Akufo-Addo had engineered a strategic takeover of the Electoral Commission and the Judiciary with loyalists aligned with his New Patriotic Party (NPP), raising concerns of a rigged electoral process.
The extensive infiltration of the EC and the Judiciary with partisan elements aimed to ensure a favorable outcome for the ruling NPP, underpinning a broader scheme of electoral malpractice.
As the election day approached, the NPP’s nefarious plan to utilize counterfeit ballots pre-marked for their candidates was thwarted by the vigilant efforts of the John Mahama-led NDC.
Through a meticulous operation codenamed #EAGLEEYES, the NDC preempted attempts of ballot stuffing, with their vigilance leading to the discovery of a secret warehouse in Kumasi containing a cache of fake ballots.
The diligent oversight exercised by the NDC operatives prevented the fraudulent practice of ballot manipulation, thereby safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
These decisive actions ensured that Mahama’s votes remained untouched at the collation centers, averting a recurrence of the electoral malfeasance witnessed in the past.
Consequently, Vice President Bawumia gracefully conceded defeat, acknowledging the legitimacy of Mahama’s victory.