Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Wa Municipality took to the streets on motorcycles, bicycles and in cars, with others on foot to jubilate over the party’s victory in the 2008 presidential election runoff.

The supporters wore the party’s tee-shirts and other paraphernalia, smeared their bodies with powder amidst singing, drumming and dancing with onlookers cheering them on as they filed past in droves.

Mr Adam Issahaku, Upper West Regional Organiser of the NDC, urged the supporters to limit their jubilation to areas perceived as their strongholds and to avoid names calling during their rounds.

“We are one people with a common goal and a win for NDC is a win for all people in Ghana,” Mr Issahaku said.

Mr Issahaku said the Regional Executives of the party had sent messages to their supporters in the districts to behave appropriately to sustain peace.

He reminded the supporters that politics was all about development
and without peace, development could not take place.

Meanwhile, calmness has retuned to the Wa Township and normal business transaction is ongoing.

A Military patrol team was seen monitoring the situation to ensure peace.


Accra goes gay after declaration of results

Accra

Hundreds of supporters of president-elect John Evans Atta Mills took to the streets of Accra clad in white calico, party tee-shirts and other National Democratic Congress (NDC) paraphernalia to celebrate their election victory.

A tour by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) of some principal streets and communities in Accra showed hundreds of supporters, who had poured out onto the streets dancing to brace band music while others composed their own songs and danced to it causing traffic jam across.

At Accra Newtown, Alajo and Kotobabi GNA observed that some few New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters in their party T-shirts had joined the celebration whiles other jubilant also sat in cars, trotros and trucks waving white handkerchiefs.

Others marched through the principal streets and taxis, trotros and some private car drivers joined by honking whiles some riders were making acrobatic displays with their motorbikes on the streets.

Tamale

There was jubilation in the Tamale Metropolis on Saturday when the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan declared the NDC’s Professor John Evans Atta Mills, President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana.

The jubilant crowd including disabled persons, who were in full NDC party paraphernalia and tee-shirts, invaded the main roads of the Metropolis expressing their joy that ‘Change’ had finally come to the country at last, while others had powder poured on their heads and were engaged in motorcycle acrobatics.

Some of them were also seen wearing torn NPP tee-shirts and chanting “we are moving forward”; “we want change” and “toni, toni, toni” (forward, forward, forward), slogans.

There was also heavy military presence in the Metropolis to ensure that the jubilation did not get out of hand, with the military personnel occasionally pleading with the crowd to give way to vehicles.

Speaking to the GNA in separate interviews some of the people claimed that the rejection of the NPP was, “a rejection of a party of arrogance and a complete disregard for the common person on the streets”.

Ms Mavis Dery, a business woman, said she was happy about the NDC’s victory, not because she supports any of the two parties, but that she wanted the NDC to come back to power for Ghanaians to see whether they had learnt lessons from opposition to help to move the country forward.

Mr Abu Seidu, a shop owner, told the GNA that he was happy because there was change and no matter how bitter the change might be it was better than NPP winning the elections.

A market woman, who pleaded anonymity, said she was happy about the NDC’s victory because of Madam Grace Omaboe (Maame Dokono); Ms Frances Essiam and Mr Kwaku Baako Junior, all NPP supporters, who left no stone unturned to paint the NDC black for the NPP to win power.

She said the elections had shown that Ghanaians were now politically matured and no amount of money dished out and misuse of incumbency could win elections and asked Professor Mills to get the NPP to tell Ghanaians the state of the national coffers before leaving office.

Some of them said Professor Mills as a peacemaker should try as much as possible to unite the nation and should not kowtow to pressures nor indulge in vindictiveness.

They advised the Ppesident-elect to ensure that the polarization that had engulfed the nation was addressed to move the country forward in one direction for development.

Meanwhile there is a melancholy of defeat in the air for members of the ruling NPP in the Metropolis, who are yet to come to terms with the turn of events.

So far the jubilation has been very peaceful in Tamale.

Kumasi

Traffic came to a halt when supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) took to the streets in parts of the Kumasi Metropolis on Saturday afternoon to celebrate, following the declaration of Professor John Evans Atta Mills as President-Elect of Ghana by Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the Electoral Commissioner.

The supporters, mainly the youth, clad in party colours, spontaneously poured out onto the streets, some on motorbikes and others on roofs and in the boots cars, while some were hooked onto bumpers of fast moving vehicles as they sang and shouted party songs and slogans across parts of Kumasi.

When the Ghana News Agency team visited areas like Asawase, Aboabo Number One, Aboabo Number Two, Sabon Zongo, Old Tafo, Alabar, Suame and other settler communities in the metropolis, jubilant supporters were seen in processions and had virtually taken over the roads making vehicular movement very difficult.

Interestingly, some of them wore NPP t-shirts and carried posters of CPP while others did the “kangaroo” dance.

At Alabar, a mosque was filled with people in NDC party colours praying and thanking Allah for making their choice a reality.

Some of the jubilant supporters, who spoke to the GNA, said they were happy that at long last the Electoral Commissioner had declared Prof. Mills winner of the Presidential Runoff.

At the central business district of Adum, people were seen going about their normal duties and towards the Manhyia and Ashtown, there were pockets of people along the streets or on their verandas ostensibly discussing and debating the outcome of the elections.

Areas such as Bantama, Krofrom, Asokwa, Asafo, Amakom and considered to be predominantly NPP strongholds, were very quite.


Ho

Ho, the Volta regional capital, literally went crazy with joy, with people pouring out on the streets minutes after the Electoral Commissioner (EC) declared Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) winner in the Presidential Election Runoff.

Young and old did anything they could think of; screamed; rolled; danced; yelled and did acrobatics all to celebrate Professor Mill’s victory, as they paraded the streets in spontaneous celebration.

Groups of people, some carrying dummies of the elephant, symbol of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), whose candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo lost narrowly, supposedly en-route to the cemetery, for burial.

A cross-section of celebrants the GNA talked to said they expected lower prices of petroleum products and edibles and also jobs, under a Professor Mills-led government.

A Trade Unionist, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the incoming government should tackle the low salaries in the public sector with all seriousness.

He said the NPP candidate might have lost to Professor Mills because of the perception that the outgoing government failed to tackle corruption and also to check crime, especially armed robbery.

He said the issue of corruption was an important barometer, somehow, in measuring the efficacy of governments in Ghana and no government should condone it.

Meanwhile there is total orderliness in the Ho Municipal area with armed police guarding vital installations and offices.

Volta Region holds a store of votes for the NDC and had trounced the NPP at all polls since 1992, conceding a seat only in 2004.

The NPP retained that seat, Nkwanta-North Constituency, in the just-ended elections, returning Mr Joseph Kwaku Nayan, the outgoing Deputy Volta Regional Minister to Parliament.

At Hohoe, NPP insignias, which hanged on power and telecommunication supply poles, were removed by groups of individuals parading the streets celebrating the Professor Mills’ victory.

They later converged at the Post Office Square to dance to borborbor music and drumming.

At Big Ada, funerals were said to have been disrupted for sometime as mourners joined in the NDC victory celebration.

People were seen sweeping what they said were the footprints of the elephant, into oblivion.


Source: GNA