The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has lauded Ghana’s electoral system for its innovative practices and political stability, which contributed to the smooth conduct of its 2024 presidential election.
Former Ghanaian President John Mahama emerged victorious in the election held on Saturday, December 7, 2024. His main challenger, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat in a statement where he congratulated Mahama, the candidate of the National Democratic Congress.
“The people of Ghana have spoken, and they have voted for change at this time. We respect this with all humility,” Bawumia said.
According to reports from AFP, Ghana’s Electoral Commission is expected to announce the official results by Tuesday.
Prof. Yakubu, who observed the election, highlighted the enduring political stability in Ghana’s democratic system. He attributed this to the steadfastness of political parties and the loyalty of their supporters, a feature he said is crucial to fostering consistency in governance.
“Rarely in Ghana do you see people moving from one party to another with every general election. So, that is important. It provides stability. It also provides their supporters (with) stability. So, there are people who have supported political parties for many years. So, whether the party is in power or opposition, they stick to the political party,” Yakubu stated in a video seen on Sunday.
Yakubu also referenced the perseverance of key political figures in Ghana, such as President Nana Akufo-Addo, who contested multiple elections before eventually securing office.
Innovations Inspired by Nigeria
Yakubu commended Ghana’s recent adoption of a decentralised system for managing election results, which he noted was inspired by practices in Nigeria.
Previously, both parliamentary and presidential results in Ghana were sent to the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Accra for announcement.
The country has since shifted to a system where constituency-level officers announce parliamentary results locally, while only presidential results are sent to the capital.
““The second thing for me is the lesson that Ghana also learnt from Nigeria in the area of managing constituency election results. Until the last election in Ghana, all results come to the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Accra; which is parliamentary and presidential.
“Although Ghana is not a federal system, they learnt from Nigeria where you have returning officers who announce results for parliamentary elections in the various constituencies around the country. Only the presidential election results come to Accra.
“In Nigeria, this is what we have done and they borrowed a leave from us, and this is the second time they are implementing that. That is why, as you can see, the declaration of the presidential election result was a lot faster than it used to be in the past,” he explained.
He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election, saying, “We are grateful that the election has gone very well. The process and its outcome so far have been commendable, and we continue to support our colleagues in Ghana’s Electoral Commission.”
The election marked the end of two terms in office for the governing New Patriotic Party under President Akufo-Addo, whose tenure faced challenges, including economic crises, high inflation, and a debt default.
