By Maxwell Awumah/Nelson Ayivor
Ho, May 15, GNA – Mr James Gunu, the Volta Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called for calm and media sobriety after the just-ended presidential and parliamentary primaries held in the Ketu North Constituency of the Volta Region.
He said the Regional Secretariat of the party was concerned about the excessive and intemperate media discussions in the aftermath of the parliamentary primaries, thereby raising the political temperature.
“While we welcome freedom of expression and speech in our fledgling multiparty democracy, we wish to caution that it is done with civility and circumspection,” he said.
Mr Gunu, in a release copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday, said media platforms provided to engage in political discourse should not be turned into the promotion of hate, insults and use of intemperate language.
He called on supporters of the various contestants to eschew divisive tendencies and work for unity.
“As the party leadership works to resolve the issues surrounding the outcome of the election in the constituency, we should all respect the party structures and not do anything untoward that will be inimical to the political fortunes of our party.”
Mr Gunu reiterated that no political machinations could break or divide the NDC in Ketu North and assured the party faithful that the will of the delegates would not be subverted.
“All we call for is calm, restraint, unity and cohesion in Ketu North constituency so that we can enhance our political fortunes by retaining the parliamentary seat and increasing the margin of victory in the presidential election come December 7, 2024.”
He called on party members, the media, and the public to remain calm and exercise utmost circumspection on matters relating to the Ketu North elections.
Meanwhile, Mr Prince Agbemenya, the EC’s returning officer of the constituency, told the GNA that there was no winner as the two leading candidates, Edem Agbana and John Kobla Adanu, each polled 358 votes following a recount.
The EC has, therefore, fixed a re-run to be conducted in 21 days, which falls on Sunday, June 4, 2023 subject to the NDC’s schedule.
He, however, said when the votes were counted after the election, Edem Agbana was leading with 360 as against John Adanu’s 359, a difference of one vote, but an agent of Adanu called for a recount necessitating a revalidation of all the ballot papers.
During the recount, the EC detected that three ballot papers were not validated by the stamp of the Electoral Commission, which made them invalid based on the rules governing the election.
GNA