INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu hails Ghana’s peaceful, credible election

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has said Ghana learnt a lot from Nigeria in the conduct of its presidential elections

“Rarely in Ghana do you see people moving from one party to another with every general election. So, that is important”, the INEC chair stated in a recorded interview seen by Peoples Gazette on Sunday.

Mr Yakubu, who oversaw the controversial 2023 general elections in Nigeria that was marred by rigging and violence, lauded the low-rate party defections as well as voter’s loyalty in Ghana, adding “it provides stability in the country’s political landscape”.

The INEC boss further said the country’s decentralised approach to managing electoral results was inspired by Nigeria’s system, stressing it improved efficiency and enabled speedy announcement process.

“Although Ghana is not a federal system, they learnt from Nigeria in the area of constituency-level results management. This approach has allowed for faster and more transparent results declarations, especially for parliamentary elections”, Mr Yakubu added.

The country’s former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in Saturday’s election, defeated his main opponent, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr Bawumi conceded defeat, emphasising that voters’ decisions “must be respected with humility.”

Meanwhile, various world leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, have congratulated Mr Mahama, adding his victory reflected the Ghanaian people’s trust in his stewardship and vision to take the country to greater heights.