To answer this question, one need to find out what the constitutions of both countries say on the winner of a presidential election.
Where as a winner in Ghana’s presidential election requires 50% + 1 of all valid votes cast, the Nigerian constitution requires a winner to have a simple majority plus 25% of 2/3rds of the 36 states plus the federal capital.
Meaning, if it was in Ghana, a winner would need to win 25% of 11 regions plus Accra metro. Meaning one need to win in at least 3 regions + Accra Metro.
This therefore means the election would have gone for a second round in Ghana using the 2020 Jean Mensah/Bossman Asare results. Though the NPP had a majority but the lost in the national capital.
If the election of Nigerian was in Ghana, it would have still gone for a second round considering the fact that the winner had about 30% of the valid votes cast where as about 70% voted for change.
The president elect would have to rule Nigeria with just 30% of voters voting for him. Out of about ninety three million (93,000,000) registered voters, only a little above twenty five million (25,000,000) voters turned out. In effect, only about 27% turned out.
What could have accounted for this record level low turnout. Is it insecurity, lost of trust for politicians and the INEC or what. Reasons are yet to be deduced. Therefore any NPP member jubilating over the APC breaking the 8 is completely ignorant of the election regulatory framework of Nigerian.
However, what is common in both Nigerian INEC and the Ghana EC is the resolve by both institutions to do the bidding of the ruling party. Simply put, the contraction of IT firms for results collation, the malfunctioning of the said system and the deliberate manipulations of results transmitted therein. Also in common is the fact that overwhelming majority of both countries want change.
I believe in the collective resolve of members of NDC and Ghanaians. The NPP attempted to break the 8 in the 2008 elections, but failed. We did it and we can do it again.
Let’s stand up. Reconcile early after the presidential and parliamentary primaries, forgive one another and work in unism. This, victory is guaranteed.
