AS FORMER President Jerry John Rawligns leads in the commemoration of June 4 today, Cadres of Upper East Region are urging Ghanaians not to ignore the principles of June 4, 1979 and 31st December, 1981 Revolutions.
The cadres say honesty, transparency and accountability must remain the watchwords of all public office holders.
In a statement issued and signed by Mr. Alagskomah Asakeya Noble, the regional chairman of the United Cadres Front, the cadres admit there were some excesses during the June 4 and 31st December revolutions; they were understandable just like the American Revolution of 1775-1783.
Mr. Alaskomah however maintained that Ghana’s democratic credentials that are hailed globally are as a result of the hard work, sacrifice and the commitment of Cadres of the June 4 1979 and 31st December 1981 revolutions led by Ft. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
He said in spite of the fact that some cadres lost their lives, others maimed and others experienced broken homes with dire consequences, their commitment and determination ensured that the downtrodden, the underdogs, the suffering masses had a say in the decision making process as they ignored all the odds and hazards to pave way for Democracy which finally came in 1992.
Touching on elections in Ghana, Mr. Alaskomah urged Ghanaians and election players to respect the verdict of the people any time General Elections are conducted and results declared by the Electoral Commission.
He vowed that cadres will resist any attempt by any individual or group of persons to subvert the 1992 Republican Constitution for their myopic interest with all their might because the country’s democracy has come very far and no matter the political differences, Ghanaians must place the country first.
He appealed to the President Mahama to remain focused and not to be distracted by the Supreme Court case, stressing that “nobody can change the will of the people except God”.
A DRIVER of the Ghana Commercial Bank, Bolgatanga branch, on Monday died on the spot when the bullion van he was driving to Navrongo collided head-on with a tractor on the Bolgatanga-Navrongo trunk road.
Mohammed Idrisu was conveying money from the Bolgatanga branch of the GCB to the Navrongo branch in a bullion van with registration number GT7731-10 under the guard of a Police Officer, Lance Corporal Ebenezer Odame and the bank’s own security man, Kennedy Yeboah.
The Police officer sustained injuries in the ribs, while the security man suffered from a fracture in the head. The tractor operator, Edward Kaba was said to be in coma at the hospital.
The Upper East Regional Police Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit, ASP Daniel Kwao Teye, who led a team of Police officers to the scene, confirmed these in an interview with The Chronicle, and said the two were rushed to the Regional Referral Hospital in Bolgatanga for treatment.
The tractor operator, Edward Kaba according to ASP Kwao Teye was also in critical condition. He said the tractor was loaded with cement which he suggested made the operator to lose control and subsequently collided with the van.
According to him, the bullion van and the tractor collided when the tractor operator veered off his lane and entered into the lane of the van.
In related developments, a motorbike rider on ignored the serine of an ambulance which was responding to an emergency and crossed the road at the time other road users had given way. In an attempt to avoid crashing into the rider, the driver of the ambulance crashed into a stationery tricycle. The motor rider fell off and hit himself hard on the ground and was taken to the hospital for treatment but was still in coma at time of filing this report on Monday.
Still last week, a motor rider on the Bawku road crashed into the rear of an articulate tract which was being checked at the custom barrier near Zuarungu. He also sustained a fracture on the leg and is being treated at the hospital.
Credit: William N-lanjerborr Jalulah & Odette OUEDRAOGO | www.thechronicleonline.com
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has assured that it will continue the live broadcast of the election petition hearing currently going on at the Supreme Court.
The assurance, which was given by the Director-General of the corporation, Major Albert Don-Chebe (rtd) Sunday, clears the dark cloud that hung over the live coverage of the petition in view of the huge cost involved.
According to Major Don-Chebe, the live coverage costs the state broadcaster about GHc130,000 daily.
That means after 24 days of proceedings at the Supreme Court, the live coverage has imposed a cost of GHc3.12 million on the GBC, which is already reeling under serious financial challenges.
Major Don-Chebe, speaking on some Accra-based radio networks last week, had expressed concern over the cost implication of the live coverage to the corporation.
In view of that, he said, the GBC could not sustain the activity.
He, however, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that “we intend to continue the coverage”.
Major Don-Chebe said the GBC was holding discussions with some of its major stakeholders to see how best the corporation could be supported to continue the live coverage.
Responding to suggestions that the GBC could leverage on the live coverage to rake in more revenue through advertisements, he said the election petition hearing was a very serious national matter that should not be diluted with advertisements.
The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Mr Gabby Otchere-Darko, had suggested that the GBC could make huge profit from the live telecast of the election petition by taking advantage of the opportunity to increase revenue from advertisements.
The live coverage of the petition is a novelty in the court process in Ghana, with many people hailing the initiative as a major bolster to the country’s fledgling democracy.
It has also helped to calm down tension in the country, as people are able to follow live proceedings at the court in the comfort of their homes, workplaces and other places.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party, NPP has suspended Dr. Charles Wereko Brobbey from the party.
The decision was taken at an emergency NEC meeting held on Friday.
Dr. Brobbey, who prides himself as party stalwart, has in recent weeks criticized the leadership of the party for going to court to challenge the results of the 2012 elections.
On Thursday, Tarzan, as Dr. Wereko Brobby is affectionately called, released a press statement titled, “On the face of the pink sheets or at the heart of the matter” in which he scolded the petitioners in the ongoing 2012 Presidential Election Petition for using the party’s 2012 running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia whom he described as a “confused and clueless” witness to prosecute their case.
According to reliable sources, Tarzan was found to have breached certain sections of the NPP Constitution, and thus the decision to suspend him was taken in accordance with the party’s statutes which allows such disciplinary action to be taken against members whose conduct is deemed to have brought the NPP into disrepute.
It is unclear if the National Council’s decision has been formally communicated to the former VRA Chief Executive who has since refused to comment on the matter.
But Peacefmonline is reliably informed that he has been referred to the Disciplinary Committee of the party for the appropriate sanctions.
When reached on phone to find out if he had heard the news, a rather genteel and favourably disposed Wereko Brobbey told Peacefmonline that he does not respond to or comment on issues during the weekend.
KPMG, the international audit firm appointed by the Supreme Court to audit pink sheets submitted by the petitioners challenging results of the December 2012 presidential election, KPMG, has completed its work.
The audit firm is in the process of writing its report on the counting and the categorisation of the pink sheets.
Sources close to the parties in the election petition who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, however, declined to give further details.
This notwithstanding, a senior partner of KPMG, Mr Joe Winful in an interview refused politely to comment on whether or not the firm had completed its work, except to say that they were yet to communicate to the Supreme Court officially on its assignment.
Pink Sheet “War”
The form on which the statement of poll and the declaration of results for the office of President and Parliament are recorded is also known as the pink sheet.
It is so-called because it is coloured in pink.
The issue of the actual number of pink sheets submitted by the petitioners has become a thorny and delicate one for weeks because the petitioners and the respondents have given varied figures.
While the petitioners insist they served 11,842 pink sheets on the Supreme Court Registry, the respondents, namely, President John Dramani Mahama, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), disagree.
Counsel for the President, Mr Tony Lithur, had argued in court that he received 8,579 pink sheets, while counsel for the NDC, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, said his client had taken custody of about 8,000 pink sheets.
However, the EC has not come out clearly on the number of pink sheets it has received, but its lawyer, Mr James Quashie-Idun, also informed the court that his client took custody of less than 11,842 pink sheets.
Following the tenacious disagreement among the parties on the actual number of pink sheets submitted to the court, the court, on May 9, 2013, in consultation with the parties, ordered that the pink sheets be audited.
Meanwhile, the petitioners have, since the beginning of the hearing, deleted 704 pink sheets and are currently relying on 11,138 pink sheets in their final analysis.
Lawyers for the President and the NDC, in a letter dated May 21, 2013 and addressed to KPMG, alleged that 10 additional boxes had been added to 24 already inspected boxes.
“It is our opinion that the ten boxes that were not part of those inspected on May 16, 2013 ought to be identified, isolated and excluded, as they are not part of the subject matter of the court order on May 9, 2013,” the letter, signed by Mr Lithur and Samuel Cudjoe, a lawyer for the NDC, stated.
Lawyers for the petitioners, on the other hand, have fervidly opposed the allegations of the two respondents.
A former Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ms Gloria Akuffo, denied the claims of the respondents and described them as totally false.
Mr Philip Addison, lead counsel for the petitioners, also stated in court that the allegations by the two respondents were part of their many cooked up stories and must, therefore, be ignored with impunity.
The Position of the Court and Referee KPMG The nine-member Supreme Court panel, which comprises Mr Justice William Atuguba, Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Ms Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Mr Justice Annin Yeboah, Mr Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice N. S. Gbadegbe and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo, affirmed its decision in giving the KPMG the green light to audit the pink sheets submitted to the court’s registry by the petitioners on April 7, 2013.
The judges, however, urged the auditors to officially note down any complaint from any of the parties in the final report.
The Petition
The hearing of the substantive petition began on April 17, 2013.
So far, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has testified on behalf of the petitioners and has been cross-examined by lawyers for President Mahama, the EC and the NDC.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has also given evidence on behalf of the NDC and President Mahama and has since been cross- examined by the other parties in the case.
The Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, began giving his evidence-in-chief on Thursday, May 30, 2013 and is expected to continue on June 3, 2013.
The petitioners have alleged that the December 7 and 8, 2012 presidential election was fraught with malpractices of over-voting, non-signing of pink sheets by some presiding officers or their assistants, voting without biometric verification and duplicated serial numbers of pink sheets.
However, President Mahama, the EC and, the NDC have denied that any such irregularities occurred during the election.
The Court and Issues for Consideration
The court will take into account evidence adduced by the parties and their witnesses and the laws of the country before arriving at its final decision.
It has, in the meantime, narrowed down two issues for determination. They are whether or not statutory violations, omissions, malpractices and irregularities occurred during the conduct of the elections held on December 7 and 8, 2012.
It will also ascertain whether or not the said violations, omissions, irregularities and malpractices (if any) affected the outcome of the election.
Judges for the 3-day audition. L-R: Inna Marayam Patty, Steven Adusei, Shika Obeng and Van Vicker
Judges for the 3-day audition. L-R: Inna Marayam Patty, Steven Adusei, Shika Obeng and Van Vicker
The search for the 2013 edition of the Miss Ghana beauty pageant kicked off Thursday, May 30 at the Travel Express Hotel, near Gulf House, Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Accra.
Exclusive Events Ghana, organizers of the pageant is holding one national audition this year unlike previous editions where they scout for contestants at regional or zonal auditions.
Organizers explained that, this year’s format of holding only one national audition is still consistent with the general theme of taking the event closer to the doorstep of the bold, beautiful, eloquent and intelligent Ghanaian lady.
Myjoyonline.com’s visit to the Travel Express Hotel witnessed a very competitive environment illuminated by hundreds of bubbly hopefuls who had trooped the venue to be part of Day One of the audition, Thursday. Auditions will run until Saturday, June 1.
The judging panel for the 3-day audition are; Steven Adusei, Professional Photographer; Shika Obeng, Cosmetologist; actor Van Vicker; and Inna Marayam Patty, CEO of Exclusive Events Ghana.
Obed Boafo, Publicist for the pageant told Myjoyonline.com in an interview that, “It went well. We had a very good turnout. The process continues Friday and we expect some more young, beautiful, intelligent, purpose-driven Ghanaian ladies between the ages of 18-25 to audition.”
We believe the Miss Ghana platform offers limitless opportunities to the ladies and for which reason the level of appreciation is that high,” he added.
Inna Maryam Patty had disclosed in a statement that, winners of this year’s pageant “will still get cash rewards, products from sponsors, paid-holiday trips, internship and branding opportunities with our sponsors, donors and partners.”
She added that, “Our scholarship scheme, which was instituted last year, and available for two contestants who are able to meet Benedict College University’s criteria for selection, still stands.”
The national finals will be held in Accra in July, 2013.
Editor in Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr. is cautioning the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against using Dr. Wereko Brobby’s job at the Volta River Authority (VRA) and Ghana@50 as a ‘missile’ to spite him.
He said the NPP must take into consideration that their action is “unprincipled and inconsistent”, which he said gives more credence to the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) claim that Wereko Bobby failed at those institutions.
Kweku Baako was speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Friday.
Dr. Wereko Brobby, a founding member of the NPP has come under intense bashing due to comments many in the party have deemed negative to the party.
Tarzan as he is affectionately called incurred the wrath of the NPP this week when he described Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, NPP’s star witness in the ongoing Presidential Election petition as “clueless”.
Leading members of the NPP have hurled insults at Tarzan with many questioning his loyalty to the party. Some have even suggested the leadership take disciplinary actions against him [Tarzan].
The NPP has also attributed its electoral woes to Dr. Wereko Brobby‘s conduct as boss of VRA and Chief executive of the Ghana @50 secretariat under the Kufuor administration.
But Kweku Baako on Friday said NPP would be committing political suicide if they use Ghana@50’s allegations and perception against Tarzan.
“Let’s disagree with Tarzan on issue he is raising but let not accept NDC’s propaganda that he failed at VRA and at Ghana@50 because that is patently not true”.
“I disagree with how Tarzan is dealing with his stance on the petitioners’ case but I don’t think we will do much to the integrity of politics if we begin to use VRA and Ghana@50 perceptions and allegations against him,” he stressed.
To set the records straight, Kweku Baako explained that Tarzan was exonerated from those allegations and perceptions after investigations by the Ministry of Energy, Auditor General and the National Security.
“So if you [NPP] turn around and use those things against him [Tarzan], you are telling the whole world that the [investigations] you did has no integrity,” he stressed.
On Ghana@50, Kweku Baako said an Auditor General’s report cleared Tarzan, Kwadwo Mpianim and the NPP administration respectively.
Beyond this, he said there was Ghana@50 Presidential Commission which made some finding and recommendations upon which Tarzan and Kwadwo Mpianim were prosecuted.
“When you put these things together; it is rather amazing and paradoxical for NPP people who are having problems with Tarzan to go and use those things against him”.
Kweku Baako urged the NPP to exercise restrain because “there is a better cure for the Tarzan mischief than what you are doing”.
Gabby Otchere Darko, Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, has said Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) can profit immensely from the live telecast of the Presidential Election Petition despite revelations by its Director-General Major Albert Don- Chebe (Rtd) that it losses about $66,000 a day.
The election petition was filed at the Supreme Court by three leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). They are Jake Obetsebi Lamptey (Chairman) Nana Akuffo Addo( 2012 Presidential Candidate) and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (2012 Vice-Presidential candidate).
The petition is challenging the declaration of President John Dramani Mahama as the winner of the 2012 presidential election.
The hearing of the election petition began on the 16th April 2013. It is heard on working days at the Supreme Court from Monday to Thursday. It entered day 24 on Thursday May 30.
The Director- General of GBC who was appointed recently has said the Corporation lost about $66,000 from the physical movement of technical resources such as OB Vans and stationing technicians at the Supreme Court the whole day.
He added on Multi Tv and Joy FM’s Top Story that there was transmission cost with its huge energy component and losses in revenue from adverts and sponsored programs that have been taken off air.
His human resource base was also suffering. He said because of the focus on the petition, some staff could not do anything else.
The Director-General agreed that the live telecast was of colossal importance in enhancing Ghana’s democracy but it also presented an opportunity to address serious financial challenges facing GBC because, he said, “we can’t sustain this forever”.
He also argued, it was time for the nation to confront the reality that Ghanaians have to start paying TV license fee if the state broadcaster is to play its public service role effectively.
“A TV license fee that was fixed 18 years ago at 30 pesewas” he said should be a concern for civil society organisations, government and the general Ghanaian public.
He said there was “a beautiful law” supporting the payment of TV licenses to improve the financial state of the Corporation and yet “almost everybody seems to have forgotten about that”, he lamented.
Democracy would suffer if GBC continues to suffer, the D-G warned.
But speaking on Multi Tv and Joy FM’s Top Story, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko said the live telecast of the petition has increased the viewership base of GBC by about “10 folds” . “Nobody can begrudge them” if they decide to make profit from this, he said.
“Isn’t there some commercial value that can be leveraged and hasn’t been leveraged?”, he asked.
He said unlike the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which operate solely on taxes from the public, GTV had the opportunity to commercialize its operations.
He said that prior to the coverage of the election petition which runs from 10am to 4pm each day, very few people watched programs aired by GTV.
“Without this, what would GTV be doing?, it would be showing certain things nobody would be watching”, he said.
According to the Executive Director, the hearing of the election petition had gotten to “a peak” and could end in three weeks, he claimed.
He appealed to the D-G to continue the live broadcast if they have “come this far”.
He said although he shared concerns about TV licenses raised by the D-G, it was the responsibility of management of GBC to ensure that the fee is increased and collected.
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is considering halting the daily coverage of the election petition hearing at the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood instructed Ghana Television to telecast the proceedings of the hearing of the election petition live, after weeks of debate, sparked by the live telecast of the hearing of the Kenyan petition.
However, the Corporation has revealed it is losing about GHC100,000 daily because it has suspended regular programming on the network.
The Director General of GBC, Major (Rtd) Albert Don-Chebe, told Citi News, GBC might not be able to continue with the coverage without any financial assistance.
“Sooner or later, we are going to wave the red flag and say, ladies and gentlemen, if this amount of money is not put into our coffers, I’m afraid, we will be unable to continue this coverage. It’s as simple as that.”
He maintained that, his outfit cannot sustain the $50,000 a day, but added that he is in consultation with his “colleagues, my directors and sooner or later, we will wave the red flag and ask that the bill that has been accumulated so far be paid so that we can continue giving Ghanaians this coverage which is something that everybody wants to see.”
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has made an upward adjustment to prices of some petroleum products effective June 1.
Both Petrol and diesel from tomorrow will be selling at GH¢9.50 per gallon.
A statement from the National Petroleum Authority say this is in line with Government of Ghana’s policy directive to achieve full pass-through petroleum products.
The current ex-pump price of petrol (premium) 204.96 pesewas per litre, has been adjusted to 211.11 pesewas per litre or GH¢9.50 per gallon representing 3 per cent increment.
The price of diesel (gas oil) would move from 206.83 pesewas per litre to 211.11 pesewas per litre or GH¢9.50 per gallon making a difference of 2 per cent .
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has also been increased by 3 per cent. The current price is 194.85 pesewas per kilogram but will sell at 200.00 pesewas per kilogram or GH¢25.00 for 12.5Kg Cylinder from June 1. 25.00
However prices of products such as kerosene, residual fuel and marine gas, remained unchanged.
