Akufo-Addo won’t use COVID-19 to extend his 1st term – Oppong Nkrumah

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the government is committed to ensuring that there is a free and fair election to elect a leader beyond 2020.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, he said the President has no plans of extending his mandate without elections being held.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo government sees no reason “to seek to extend its first term constitutional mandate using the virus as an excuse, without a safe, free and fair election.”

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He said energies should rather be channeled towards finding ways the country can hold successful elections in the wake of the pandemic.

“The government is of the view that instead of contemplating measures that are not envisaged in the Constitution, our best energies, our innovation and creativity should be invested in exploring how a country like ours can have safe and free elections,” Mr. Nkrumah said.

Currently, government has placed a ban on all social gatherings as a measure to help contain the Coronavirus.

The ban has forced the Electoral Commission (EC) to suspend its plans to compile a new voter register.

Meanwhile, there have been divided opinions over who would lead the country, should the COVID-19 pandemic stretch beyond December and prevent the general elections from taking place.