NPP denounces attacks on Nana's home... and NDC wants police to bring perpetrators to book

GHANA ELECTIONS 2016 DAILY NEWS MEDIA REVIEW – 14TH NOVEMBER, 2016

Barely 24 days to the December 7 polls, have issues of threat to national security emanating from clashes between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) dominated headlines of various news media for today.

The Daily Graphic captions, ‘NPP denounces attacks on Nana’s home… and NDC wants police to bring perpetrators to book’ is how the paper reports the story. It reads, there was a confusion at the Nima residence of the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo in Accra yesterday when some participants in a health walk organised by the NDC allegedly pelted the house with stones. The Ghanaian Times also reports, ‘Violence at Akufo-Addo residence’. The story says, ‘there was pandemonium at the residence of NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo at Nima, in Accra yesterday, when some supporters of the ruling NDC on a health walk diverted their route to his house and clashed with the security there. The Statesman reports, ‘NPP condemns attack at Akufo-Addo’s residence’. The paper says, the NPP condemned yesterday’s unprovoked attack at the Nima residence of the party’s presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, by members of the NDC, describing the incident as an obvious mark of desperation and open show of impunity. ‘NDC boys attack Nana’s house’ is the headline in the Daily Guide on this issue. According to the story, hundreds of NDC T-shirt clad youth yesterday morning allegedly attacked the Nima residence of the NPP flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, hurling bottles of alcoholic beverages and stones into the house. Their bid to invade the house was said to have been aborted by two private security men at the gate who reportedly fired warning shots into the air. Nana Addo was in the Brong Ahafo Region campaigning towards the December 7 polls at the time of the incident.

Still on the headlines, the Enquirer caption ‘Aftermath of Odododiodoo Violence-AMA suspends political party debate’ is another story that bothers on the 2016 elections. According to the paper, the Metropolitan Security Committee (MESEC) of the Accra Metropolitan assembly (AMA) has, with immediate effect, directed the suspension of all political party debate in the 13 constituencies in the metropolis. The Chronicle reports on Nana’s response to the near political mayhem at his residence. According to the paper, “I remain unfazed by desperate NDC propaganda – Nana” is the quote the words attributed to Nana Akuffo Addo. According to the paper, the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, remains unfazed by the lies, fabrications and propaganda which will be churned out by operatives of the Mahama government, with 24 days to the conduct of the December 7 elections. He said this in an address at a mammoth night rally at Drobo, in the Jaman South constituency.

The Enquirer caption ‘EC set parameters for the determination of spoilt ballot papers’ is a key headline on the 2016 elections. According to the story, the EC has set the parameters for the determination of the validity of a ballot paper. According to the EC, the presiding officer who is in charge of the polling station, in deciding the validity of the ballot paper must note that the entire space in the horizontal column which includes the photograph of the candidate, the symbol, and the blank voting space belong to the respective candidate and any thumb print made must be accepted. 

‘EC dispatches ballot papers’ is according to the Daily Guide. The story says that EC has started dispatching ballot papers to various parts of the country for the December 7 elections. The process began on Saturday amidst tight security and monitoring by representatives of the various political parties.

The Daily Post also carries the headline ‘NPP setting the stage to dispute election 2016 – Mahama’. According to the story, President John Dramani Mahama has accused the largest opposition party, NPP of setting the stage to reject the outcome of the impending December 7 general elections. According to him, the NPP’s strategy in pursuit of this agenda is to constantly and needlessly attack the Chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei, an act the president noted has been ongoing for a long time.

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This news media review is made possible with funding from the INDIGO Trust.