NDC Suffers Mass Defection.

THE DESIRE of the ruling National Democratic Congress(NDC) to win one million votes in the Ashanti Region during the upcoming polls to help the party to hang onto political power, is in great danger as mass defection had hit the party.

More than one thousand NDC supporters, mainly women, in the AtwimaNwabiagya North Constituency in the Ashanti Region, have defected to join the New Patriotic Party (NPP), with just 60 days to the December 7 elections.

Section of the defectors, marched through the township of AsuofiaAsaaman on Saturday morning holding placards with inscriptions that President Mahama and the NDC had failed so they must be voted out of political office.

Doris Amoah, leader of the defectors, who was NDC executive member in the constituency, said they had left the NDC party because the government was incompetent so its policies and programmes had impoverished them.

She pointed out that President Mahama, who will be leaving office in 60 days’ time, was yet to fulfill just one of his numerous juicy campaign promises during the 2012 polls, saying that the financial burden of the masses had been compounded.

Doris Amoah, who is considered as the mother of NDC at Asuofia and the nearby towns, bemoaned that all the social intervention policies introduced by the NPP administration to help the poor, like school feeding programme, NHIS, among others, had been collapsed by the NDC.

She said their children were roaming about in the house without going to school due to exorbitant school fees, stating that she and her group had realized that another political term for the NDC would see the country being totally destroyed.

Doris Amoah, who was addressing the media, noted that they had realized that Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo and the NPP has the vision to transform the country so that the lives of the people would be significantly improved.

MrBenito Owusu-Bio, the NPP MP for the constituency, who officially welcomed the defectors to the NPP, commended the former NDC supporters for having strong faith in Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP.

He urged them to feel at home and work together with other NPP members in the area, so that the NPP’s votes would see significant improvement, stressing that the NPP would introduce several social intervention programs to better their lives, if it wins the polls.

Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo Advises Students.

“ELECTION 2016 IS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE” – AKUFO-ADDO ADVISES STUDENTS

The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has admonished students across the country to be mindful of the choices they make in this year’s elections, and stay clear off voting for another 4-years in high office for President John Mahama.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, ever since President Mahama assumed office, Ghana’s economy has systematically shrunk, resulting in high levels of unemployment, rising costs of living, widespread hardships and suffering, and the creation of a future of hopelessness for the millions of Ghanaian youth.

To this end, the NPP flagbearer is appealing to students to vote for him and the NPP in this year’s elections, so as to secure their collective future.

Nana Akufo-Addo made this known on Thursday, October 13, 2016, when he addressed thousands of students at the Pentecost University College, as part of his tour of the Anyaa Sowutuom constituency.

“Usually, when people come to speak to you (students), they talk about the future. This is because you are the future. But, I am going to say something a bit different. Every year, since John Dramani Mahama became President, our economy has shrunk, and, this year, we are going to have the slowest growth of our economy for 22 years,” the NPP flagbearer said.

This sad state Ghana currently finds herself in, according to Akufo-Addo, implies “that your ability to walk out of here and get a job is being compromised right now. What I am trying to leave with you is that four more years of John Dramani Mahama will mean you that you have no future to look up to.”

Thus, the NPP flagbearer stressed that, “the responsibility for you (students) is not about tomorrow, it is about today. That, together, all of us will make sure that the threat to our future that Mahama represents is removed in December, once and for all, so we can return our country onto the path of progress and prosperity.”

He continued, “I am saying to you, (this election) is about your future. It is about now. If we continue on the path we are on now, let me repeat it, there will be no future for you to inherit. So the task is a simple one. In peace and in dignity, let’s put Mahama aside, let’s bring Akufo-Addo and let’s chart a new direction for Ghana.”

The NPP flagbearer assured that the direction he is offering the people of Ghana is one which will “concentrate on growing our economy and making sure there are more and more jobs available for the young people of our country. That is the vision which we are working for our country, and it is what we will do when we are in office.”

He, thus, urged all students across the country not to stay at home on December 7, stating that “that day, 7th of December, is indeed about you and your future.”

Whilst in the constituency, Nana Akufo-Addo also visited the Alhaji Station, Sowutuom Last Stop, Anyaa Market and the Ablekuma Tipper Station.

We’ll Release Filing Fees After Notice Of Poll - EC

The Electoral Commission has assured it will refund the filing fees of all Presidential hopefuls who were rejected and subsequently disqualified ahead of the general polls slated for December, 7. But the commission insists such monies will be released after the publication of the notice of poll. This comes after the Electoral Commission disqualified 12 presidential candidates and one other whose nomination is on hold pending a determination of a court case. The failed candidates list includes the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who was also disqualified for failing to meet requirements the EC stipulated in its regulations ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline date to file their nomination documents. The presidential candidates who are qualified to participate in the elections include Mahama, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), and independent candidate Jacob Osei Yeboah. There were legitimate concerns that the expense of huge sums paid as filing fees must be released back to the aspirants who were expelled from the Presidential race. But Communications Director of the Electoral Commission, Eric Dzakpasu in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM said the law prescribes that refunds of deposits must be made after the notice of poll. He adds: “To the extent that they are not contestants and the processes are going on, i think their funds must be given to them as an when the commission decides that it’s ready and then we pay to them.”

Dr Mary Grant To Be Buried On October 21

The burial service of Dr Mary Stoove Grant, a former Member of the Council of State will be held on Friday October 21 at the State House. The service will be preceded by a worship and songs service at the Calvary Methodist Church at 6.30pm on Wednesday, October 19. Membesr of the public will be allowed to file past her body on Friday, October 21 at 7.00am. Dr Grant will be interred at a private burial after which the final funeral rites will be observed at the State House. There will be no wreath laying ceremony. She served as a member of the Council of State in the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was also the Deputy PNDC Secretary for Health in 1985. Her service in the field of health as well as her involvement in drawing up guidelines for grassroots political structures led to her appointment as a member of PNDC in 1989, with special responsibility for Health and Education. In 1997 she was re-elected for another four-year term as a Member of the Council of State. She passed away on Sunday, September 18 at the 37 Military Hospital, aged 88 and was survived by seven children (two biological) and eight grandchildren.

There're 'Incompetent Men' In High Office: Joyce Aryee

Ms Joyce Aryee has wondered why Ghanaian men always question the competence and qualification of women who get appointed to high positions or attain high laurels, saying there are many "incompetent" men occupying high positions and messing up things but women do not question their qualification.

"I've come to realise that Ghanaian men don't respect women. Ghanaian men think women do not deserve to occupy high positions. Even though some men are incompetent, they still get to occupy very high positions in society but once a woman ascends to high office, a litany of questions are asked about her competence and qualification. Meanwhile, women never ask those questions about a lot of incompetent men who get to occupy such high offices," the founder of Salt & Light Ministries said while expressing pain about recent insult hurled at the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei, by Mr Hassan Ayariga, flag bearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), who was disqualified by the election management body for some infractions.

Mr Ayariga described Mrs Charlotte Osei as "stupid" and "foolish" for disqualifying him. "Madam Charlotte Osei herself is not qualified to be an EC leader," Mr Hassan Ayariga said in an interview with Emefa Apawu on Class91.3FM on Monday, 10 October, minutes after Mrs Osei announced his disqualification.

"I am telling you she is not qualified to be an electoral commissioner. Somebody who has contested in an election in the past, you are telling me you don't know his identity. Are you normal? And for that reason you disqualify that person? Does it make sense to you? That you tell me that Hassan Ayariga, you don't know his identity? Who the f*** are you?" an obviously angry Mr Ayariga said, adding: "This is the joke of the century."

Apart from Mr Ayariga, the EC disqualified 11 other presidential nominees and put one on hold, pending the determination of a court challenge.

The others disqualified include Dr Edward Mahama of the People's National Convention (PNC); Dr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP); Kofi Akpaloo of the Independent People's Party (IPP); Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD); and Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People's Party (PPP).

The others are: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP); Mr Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party); Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP); Thomas Ward-Brew of the Democratic People's Party (DPP); Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate; and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). Mr Akwasi Addae Odike of the United Progressive Party's nomination is on hold pending a court case.

Mrs Osei cited filing anomalies including fraudulent signatures, absence of a required number of signatures, improper filling of nomination forms, among others, as the reasons for their disqualification. In the case of Mr Odike, Mrs Osei said Mr Odike had been given up to Friday, 14 October to deal with the court case or count himself out of the race completely.

Mrs Osei said some of the fraudulent information provided by the nominees would be followed up by the police for possible arrest and prosecution.

Those whose nominations have been accepted include President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Akufo-Addo of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People's Party (CPP), and Jacob Osei Yeboah – an independent aspirant.

Condemning the insults, Ms Aryee, a former CEO of the Chamber of Mines, told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM's morning show Ghana Yensom on Wednesday 12 October: "What really pained me is the abuse hurled at Mrs Charlotte Osei by one of the disqualified flag bearers (Hassan Ayariga). The abuses were totally needless.

"How can Mr Ayariga say Mrs Charlotte Osei is not qualified? How is she not qualified?"