The Ghanaian Times begins today's review with a story headlined Prisons to cross-check inmates' background which states that the Ghana prisons Service (GPS) has embarked on a nationwide background check of inmates to enable them to be registration exercise. Already, the GPS has conducted checks on inmates of the Ahinsan prison in the Ashanti Region, where out of the 135 inmates, only three were found to have entered the prison with their real names.
The Daily Dispatch also informs us that the Central Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Philomena Edusei has hinted that people who registered more than once at the just ended Biometric registration will be banned for five years. According to her, since it is an offence to register more than once, offenders "cannot use the voters' identification (ID) card for anything in the country, the paper reports with the heading EC to ban double registrants for five years.
The NPP Parliamentary candidate for Bunkpurugu -Yuuyoo, Mr. Solomon N. Boar, has thanked the chiefs and people of his constituency and the entire people of the Northern Region for coming out in their numbers to participate in the just ended biometric voter registration exercise. The NPP candidate was speaking to the Ghanaian Times on telephone on his impressions at the end of the biometric voter registration exercise, and added that the Biometric registration exercise was a success.
All too soon, the nationwide voter registration exercise that was characterized by acrimony in some centers at the beginning has come to an end, and despite the hitches recorded, many, including the Electoral Commission (EC) itself, have described the entire process as successful. The exercise, which began on March 25, 2012, officially ended on May 5, 2012, and though the EC is yet to come out with the official figures, it is believed that about 12 million Ghanaians have registered to vote in the December 2012 elections. The Chronicle reports this under the banner EC analyzes voter registration today.
The Daily Graphic adds that The Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Henry Kweku Hayfron, has commended the Electoral Commission (EC) on the efforts it has put in to ensure that a credible voters' register is produced. The Daily Graphic with the caption "EC commended for successful registration exercise" adds that he said though Ghana was adopting the biometric registration for the first time, the EC has made it possible for the exercise to pass on smoothly so far without many problems.
Mr. Kofi Mintah, a founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has appealed to Ghanaians to unite for the development of the country and reject people who would divide their front for political power."Let us see ourselves, first and foremost, as Ghanaians with a common destiny. If we all have a common destiny, why then do we fight among ourselves and even thinking about destroying the nation because of political power?" The Daily Graphic reports this under the headline, Ghanaians urged to unite for common goal.
The paper further states that 'Mills, Akufo- Addo must protect peace in country', adding that the Ghana Peace Campaign 2012 has called on President John Evans Ata Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo to do more to maintain the peace in the country. The group, which is campaigning for peace in the country to be maintained before, during and after the elections, said both parties had not done enough to rein in their supporters and prevent the escalation of electoral tension in the country.
The Ghanaian Observer reports that Pro-Image Communication promotes Peace Ahead of Election. Pro-Image Communication in collaboration with MUSIGA and NASFAAG has organized a Political Tolerance Soccer Gala dubbed 'Promoting Political Tolerance, Unity and Peace in Ghana''. The Political Tolerance Soccer Gala 2012 ,according to the organizers seeks to create a team that has representation of leading members of the various political parties in the country.
Another report from the same paper indicates that the Progressive People's Party (PPP) has unveiled its parliamentary candidate for the Odododiodio candidate constituency in the Greater Accra region for the 2012 elections .The aspirant, Mr. Emmanuel Nii Ako Oddoye, a young banker and marketer, said he is poised to lead the people in the constituency and help develop the area.
Meanwhile, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, has advised politicians to be humble and truthful in their quest for power to lead the country. He said since power emanates from the people, they must refrain from acts likely to create confusion, and instead campaign for their votes, the Daily Graphic reports.
We move on to stories from the political arena and we are told by the Daily Graphic that PPP rallies support in Upper West,Brong Ahafo regions. The flag-bearer of the Progressive People's Party, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, has appealed to the people of the Upper West Region to change their pattern of voting massively for the party. He noted that the region in the 1992, 1996 and 2008 elections helped the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to come to power and did same to New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2000 and 2004, yet nothing had come out of it.
Still from the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Yaw Owusu Obimpeh, has profusely denied media reports that a member of the vice president's security detail at the weekend pulled a gun on him. He insisted he was outside Kumasi at the time the Vice President; John Mahama went there to perform an official duty and wondered how he could have been embroiled in any such incident.
The Chronicle reveals that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has hit back at the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over insults and attacks on the personality and credibility of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in the aftermath of the "State of our Economy" speech delivered at the 5th Ferdinand Ayim Memorial Lecture. Under the headline NPP reacts to attacks on Bawumia, the paper further informs us that, in a press release signed by the NPP Communications Director, Nana Akomea, he said Dr. Bawumia's exposé had left the NDC's supposed claims of unprecedented achievements in tatters, with the NDC not being able to challenge a single statistic presented by Nana Akufo-Addo's running mate.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) regime, Mr. Charles Bintim, has expressed concern over the frequent organization of programmes by the chiefs and people for the various political parties in the Nkwanta-North District to deliberate on how to promote peace, instead of concentrating on development. The former Local Government and Rural Development Minister, who was addressing a durbar of chiefs and people, as well as political parties at Kpassa to deliberate on how to ensure peace during the December elections, said the people should be deliberating on how to bring about development that would benefit the people. The Chronicle quotes him under the headline "Concentrate on development, not peace"
In other developments, the Ghanaian Times brings to our notice that Vice-President John Dramani Mahama has assured the investor communities of an incident- free election, come December, and entreated them to continue to have confidence in the country. He stressed that investors should not be discouraged by the political rhetoric and inflammatory statement currently prevailing in the country.
We learn from the Daily Graphic that the Accra Metro Director of the National Commission for Civic Education, (NCCE) Mr. Ebenezer Tetteh-Wayo, has advised students, particularly those in the junior high schools, to take up their national responsibility enshrined in the 1992 constitution seriously to maintain peace and unity in the build –up to election 2012.They also have been charged not to allow tensions created by politicians to affect their relationship with one another.
Finally on today's newspaper review, Heritage reports that IEA calls for inputs for Election 2012 Presidential debate .The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), on Monday set out modalities to broaden the level of input by the general public into the Elections 2012 Presidential Debate."The IEA is therefore requesting Civil Society Organizations, Associations, Public Institutions, the Private Sector, and the General Public to submit possible questions to the IEA Presidential Debates Committee by June 29, 2012," the IEA stated in a document obtained by the Ghana New Agency in Accra.
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.
Follows us on twitter @Ghana elections
No comments:
Post a Comment