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The Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) has cleared the air regarding claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that its agents were prevented from monitoring the registration exercise in some two senior high schools in the Ashanti Region.

The NDC had accused the EC of preventing its agents from observing the exercise at Tepa Senior High School and Prempeh College in the Region.“The Commission emphatically states that it did not prevent any party agent from observing the registration exercise at the above-mentioned schools as is being alleged,” the EC said in a statement on Sunday, July 19.

It said it informed all political parties about the exercise in line with laid-down procedure.

In the case of Tepa SHS, the EC said it made available 16 biometric voter registration (BVR) kits for the exercise.

But as part of strictly observing Covid-19 protocols, the school’s authorities limited the number of party agents on the campus to two for each party.

But midway into the exercise, the EC continued, the NDC expressed dissatisfaction with the number of their agents present, requesting that they have an agent each monitoring the BVR kits.

“The school authorities opposed the idea as they felt that it would increase the number of persons present.

In the wake of the disagreement, the school authorities called in the security agents who restored calm.”

It said the registration continued without any hindrance.

Regarding the registration at the Prempeh College, the agents of the NDC did not show up despite a notice to all political parties about the registration.

“In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the Commission delayed the registration till 1:00pm, five (5) clear hours after the approved start time of 7am.

“Representatives of the NDC came to the Centre at 5.00 pm, after only one hundred and twenty-nine (129) out of over one thousand (1,000) eligible applicants had been registered.

“They called for the registration process to be halted due to the fact that their agents were not present. The process was halted to forestall unrest to the peaceful exercise.”

The EC feels the accusations are “calculated” to discredit the exercise “and bring its name into disrepute”.

“The Commission entreats the general public to disregard the allegations and work with the Commission to make the registration exercise successful.”

Source: 3news.com|GhanaTags: ECElectoral Commission

The General Secretary of the NPP, Mr John Boadu on Sunday, the 18th day of July, 2020, toured some registration centres in the Eastern Region to observe the ongoing voter registration exercise in the region.

The tour took him to the Akuapem North Constituency where he visited the Presby primary registration centre, Presby JHS registration centre and Temporal Booth registration centres in Amanakrom, and then the Methodist primary school registration centre in Titu. He ended his tour of the constituency at the Otubromu registration centre in Mampong.

He proceeded to the Okere Constituency and visited the Aseseso Methodist primary registration centre, then to an EC gazetted Nifa SHS registration centre, Methodist Chapel Square 1 and 2 registration centres in Adukrom.

His next stop was the Yilo Krobo Constituency where he visited the Social centre, the Mennonite Church registration centre and the Sawer registration centre. He also went to the Lower Manya Krobo and toured Kodjonya Presby primary 1 and 2 centres at Odumase Krobo and the Accra Station 1 and 2 registration centres in Odumase.

The NPP chief scribe ended his eastern regional tour in the Asougyaman Constituency visiting a number of registration centres including Osiabura L/A registration centre, Presby primary registration centre and Asikuma Clinic registration centre in Asikuma. He donated sanitizers and face masks to all the registration centres he visited to augment the supplies made by the EC to its personnel and registrants.

Speaking to some pressmen, John Boadu expressed satisfaction at the conduct of the exercise in the region including the level of compliance to Covid-19 health protocols. He was accompanied by Maame Yaa Aboagye and Yaw Preko both of whom are Deputy National Communications Directors of the party as well as some Eastern Regional executives of the NPP led by Umar Bodinga, the regional First Vice Chairman.

By Alhaji Iddi Muhayu-Deen

President and Founder of Angel Group of Companies, Dr Kwaku Oteng has revealed that the parent company, Angel Group pays over five thousand employees monthly and do not intend laying off workers due to covid-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has left thousands jobless as companies grapple with the economic slowdown and loss in revenues. From hospitality, to retail and startups, companies across the board have let go scores of employees. While some have laid off employees, while offering them a good compensation and support, some have forced employees to resign with no prior notice.

However, on James and Katah show on Pure Fm Monday morning, Dr Oteng said:

”I pay as much as One million Ghana Cedis to over five thousand employees monthly. This I haven’t done with so much ease. Sometimes its difficult. But truth is, we can’t always rely on government to employ everyone. So those of us that God has bless can also assist.”

”There are times that it gets tougher making payment. But just when all hope seem to be lost, God shows himself stronger. You realise that debtors out of the blues pays and that’s how we’ve survived all this while.Sometimes it delays – that’s normal; but at the end of the day everyone gets paid”

Dr Oteng advised the youth to live Godly lives, pay tithes if working and remain prayerful to live successful lives.

Adding to Dr Oteng’s comments, Chief Executive Officer for Angel Broadcasting Network – Mr samuel Kofi Acheampong said there are some eight thousand workers that are paid what he termed as ‘cash in hand’ whose salary do not fall under the 5 thousand permanent employees. He called on the staff to continually pray for president of the Group.

Dr. Kwaku Oteng is the owner of a conglomerate of businesses including Adonko Bitters, Plus 2 pub, Angel Broadcasting Network, which comprises of 16 subsidiary radio stations and Television across the country, Angel Educational Complex, Angel Estate and Construction firm, Angel herbal products, Angel Transport and trading and many others.

The “Royal Strom” Isaac Dogboe will stage his much-anticipated return to the ring tomorrow in Las Vegas in a featherweight clash against American opponent, Chris Avalos.

Dogboe has been absent from the boxing scene after suffering two successive losses to Mexican fighter Emmanuel Navarrete who snatched the WBO bantam-weight title and defended it against the Ghanaian.

Tomorrow’s return will be expected to define the future of Dogboe who has resolved to get to the top of the sport again.

Despite winning the world title before, Avalos appears the more experienced boxer with 27 victories from 34 fights but his seven losses suggest there could be a way for the Ghanaian.

Dogboe, despite the back to back defeat to Navarrete boasts of an impressive 20 wins from 22 bouts.

Interior Minister Ambrose Dery has dismissed claims by the Minority in Parliament suggesting that government is making secret recruitment into the security agencies.

This comes on the back of a press briefing last July 17 where the Minority alleged that the police, military and the immigration services are training personnel although there was no public advertisement of vacancies.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu had explained that he and his members have been informed about the over 1,600 personnel already recruited although public advertisement of vacancies has not been done as stipulated by law.The last time the public witnessed a public advert in accordance with the constitution and the public services requirements and regulation was in 2017.

“So we are asking how come in 2018, 2019 and 2020 there is no official public recruitment advertised giving notice to Ghanaian citizens to prepare themselves for recruitment into these important state institutions and agencies,” he queried.

But, Interior Minister says there hasn’t been any recent recruitment.

According to him, the training schools have asked recruits who successfully passed to return after the facilities were shut down temporarily because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There is no ongoing recruitment. There was recruitment where the processes were complied with before the Covid-19 pandemic. So what happened at the time was that some of the trainees had reported to school whole others were on the way but because of the pandemic the schools were closed down.”

He further explained that the successful candidates from the initial process ahead of the pandeminc are being taken through the process of reporting back to the training schools in line with President Akufo-Addo’s directive for some educational institutions to reopen.

“Recently under the auspices of the Presidential taskforce for COvid-19, there has been a roadmap on the reopening of schools starting with final years in the universities. Subsequently, it came to senior high schools and now junior high schools.

“In that programme, the training schools for the security agencies were involved. So those successful candidates from the recruitment which took place before the pandemic were asked to start reporting,” Mr Ambrose Dery explained.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has wished the 313,837 final year senior high school students writing the 2020 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) “the best of luck and Godspeed.”As they begin their examination on Monday, July 19, 2020, Nana Akufo-Addo has reminded them to adhere strictly to all the coronavirus protocols.

“I send best wishes to the three hundred and thirteen thousand, eight hundred and thirty-seven (313,837) final year Senior High School students who will from Monday 20th July take the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“Just as has been done over the course of the last four weeks, since their return to school, I continue to urge everyone associated with the conduct of this year’s WASSCE, i.e teaching and non-teaching staff, invigilators and students, to abide by the enhanced hygiene, mask-wearing and social distancing protocols they have become accustomed to. They continue to remain our weapons in the fight to defeat COVID-19,” the President said in a Facebook post.

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) which conducts the WASSCE concurrently in anglophone West Africa; Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Liberia announced on 20th March 2020 that it was indefinitely suspending the annual exam due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, upon discussions with Ghana following the country’s decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions and allow final year students return to school, it was agreed that the exams will be held independently for Ghana.

The timetable for this year’s WASSCE will begin with Project Work for Visual Arts candidates on Monday, July, 20, 2020, while the theory papers will begin from August 3, 2020, till September 5, 2020.

The Municipal Chief Executive for West Mamprusi in the North East Region has dismissed claims by NDC General Secretary Johnson Aseidu Nketiah that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would never be allowed to lead the New Patriotic Party.The NDC General Secretary is reported to have cautioned Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia against nursing hopes of ever becoming flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party.

Mr. Aseidu Nketiah who addressed the press last month in Tamale said the Vice president does not stand a chance of ever winning the NPP presidential slot because he is coming from a region with limited influence in the party.

The comments by the NDC secretary has sparked various reactions from party executives and government appointees in Dr. Bawumia’s home region.

One of them is the Municipal Chief Executive of West Mamprussi, Aremeyaw Somo Lucky, who has refuted Aseidu Nketiah’s claims.

The MCE indicated that Dr. Bawumia’s influence in the party is widespread.

He said, one of the many physical impacts of the vice president is the NDC’s diminishing presence and influence in many Zongo communities across the country.

He said, “You have Northern region where NPP has only one, sometime, three seats, now they have more than 13 or 15 seats and you are still not learning from that, and you come to say Bawumia doesn’t have the support base.”

“If you look at the impact of Bawumia in Ghana’s political history you can’t underrate it. Look at the Zongos; the Zongos that used to be the stronghold of the NDC, they are no more there. They are diminishing. Has the NDC gone to win Yendi or Bimbila? The mathematics does not add up”, the Walewale MCE further argued.

He said the vice president, for now, is working tirelessly to ensure a second victory for his boss and won’t be distracted by the NDC.

“What Bawumia is concentrating now is that he want to win the election for His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo, to fulfil the trust that Akuffo Addo had in him and nominated him four times successfully” the MCE added.

Mr. Aremeyaw Somo Lucky also defended the achievements of the vice president, saying, Dr. Bawumia has every right to lead the party.

“Of course, he is a citizen, he is an NPP member, he has every right to lead the party and when he takes that decision, people in NPP and people in Ghana, would come out and support him. It is his right, he has the right to contest but he has not come out to tell anybody he’s going to contest”, the MCE noted.Source: Starr FM

Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged residents in border towns of the Volta Region not to be intimated by the deployment of the military.

He wants them to turn out massively to participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise despite the increased number of security personnel policing the area.

“I have asked our members not to be intimidated and that despite the presence of the military, they should still come out in their numbers and register so that they can exercise their franchise come December 7, 2020 this year,” he said.Some indigenes of border communities in the region had cause to complain over what some say is abuse and intimidation at the hands of personnel ahead of the commence of the new voters’ registration exercise.

Some indigenes of border communities in the region had cause to complain over what some say is abuse and intimidation at the hands of personnel ahead of the commence of the new voters’ registration exercise.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) further described the cries as a result of a deliberate attempt by the Akufo-Addo-led administration to disenfranchise the indigenes who belong to their strongholds.

Government has clarified that the deployment is to check illegal crossing of the country’s borders over Covid-19 concerns adding that other parts of the country saw similar exercises.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has confirmed the death of a final year student of the Methodist Girls’ Senior High School at Mamfe in the Eastern Region.

According to a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, the deceased, Cindy Aku Sika Addo, passed away on Friday, July 17 at the Koforidua Regional Hospital.

She stated that school authorities rushed Ms Sika Addo to the Tetteh Quarshie hospital right after her friends reported she was unwell on Thursday.

She was later transferred to the Koforidua Regional Hospital on Friday where she died.

“Management of GES extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family and stands with them n this difficult time.”

Although the cause of death was not stated in the GES press release, the father of the deceased, Alex Addo revealed to Joy News’ Weekend @1 on Sunday that, health authorities said his daughter died of meningitis.

He said the news of his daughter’s demise is hard to believe but he is hopeful.Ms Sika Addo death is the third final year student who has died since schools reopened three weeks ago.

President Akufo-Addo is set to resume work on Monday, July 20, after self-isolating for weeks.

The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah who disclosed this to journalists at a press briefing Sunday, said he is doing well and raring to get back to work.

Two weeks ago, the president elected to go into self-isolation after “at least one person within his close circle tested positive for Covid-19.”

In a statement, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said this was on the advice of his doctors so, from July 4, 2020, the president took “a 14-day precautionary self-isolation measure in compliance with Covid-19 protocols.”The Minister did not name the member of the president’s inner circle who has tested positive.

He, however, pointed out that the president himself has tested negative as of July 4.

That negative test notwithstanding, the Minister said, the president “elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution,” he said.

Last Sunday, the presidency released a Facebook Livestream of the president interacting with some members of the New Patriotic Party via Zoom.

During his weekly update, Mr Oppong Nkrumah announced that “president Akufo-Addo is ‘hale and hearty as he continues to work from the Presidential Villa.”

Cabinet met for the 80th time via Zoom on Tuesday with the president in isolation.The president is expected to resume home engagement from tomorrow [Monday] after a 14-day precautionary self-isolation period,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah said announcing his resumption to duty from Monday.

“The president has during the period been working from the Presidential Villa at the Jubilee House.

“He is expected to from Monday, attend to business from his office at the Jubilee House. Additionally, he will attend to some engagement outside Accra during the week,” he said.