Supporters of the New Patriotic Party began this week walking on air. The same could not be said for those of the National Democratic Congress.

A fiercely fought contest for the highest and most important job of the land was won by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Not only did he win, he made sure that the gap between him and his opponent, incumbent president John Mahama was so wide that it would take only God to bridge it.

The announcement of Akufo-Addo as president-elect by the Electoral Commissioner on Friday, December 9, 2016 sent supporters of the NPP into a frenzy.

They poured onto the streets and celebrated in a manner that probably disgusted supporters of the NDC, who never anticipated a loss.

By Sunday the jubilations turned violent. In the Central region, one NDC person was reportedly killed and about three supporters of the NPP were reported to have sustained gunshot wounds after clashes between the two parties. Related minor incidents in Accra and other parts of the country were also reported. Although the police are yet to confirm if indeed the attacks were perpetrated by supporters of the NPP, it is generally assumed that this is the trend.

That same day, the outgoing president John Mahama announced that the transition team will be inaugurated. The team will assist in ensuring that the current government hands over all relevant documents to the incoming one. All state assets and properties are expected to be returned to the State during the process.

On Monday, pro-NPP vigilante group Invincible Forces reportedly charged on toll collectors on the Ashaiman section of the Accra-Tema Motorway, and sacked the workers.

A member of the group, Moshammed Ali, said the move was to prevent looting of funds by the officers at the booth.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, the police, that same day deployed more of its men to public places to protect property.  

Director of Public Affairs of the Police Service, Superintendent Cephas Arthur, berated the NPP supporters for blatantly disregarding the law and said “it is interesting that the very facilities that we have been craving for and our leaders provide us with, when we get the opportunity we try to destroy them.”

In order to work effectively, the president-elect needs a team. By evening on Monday, Akufo-Addo announced that he was going to meet with the National Executive Committee of his party and put forward the names of the ladies and gentlemen he would appoint in his government.

President John Mahama who had just lost an election had more to deal with than his loss. Although he had gracefully conceded defeat in Ghana and put in place measures to hand over power, his counterpart in The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh (who had also conceded defeat) decided to do a u-turn.

Mr Jammeh said he has reconsidered his decision, and will no longer  hand over power to Adama Barrow. He wants the election re-run due to “serious and unacceptable abnormalities which have reportedly transpired during the electoral process.”

Together with the president of Nigeria, Liberia and others, President Mahama on Tuesday flew to The Gambia to try and convince Jammeh who has ruled the country for 22 years.

That same day, the spokesperson for the transition team in Ghana announced that handing over notes were ready to be given to the incoming government.

In a press statement released Tuesday and signed by Hannah Serwa Tetteh, she stressed that the notes "indeed were prepared before the elections were held on the December 7."

MP for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini

Still on election-related issues, the NPP threatened to embark on a court action if elections are not rerun in the Tamale Central and Upper West Akyem constituencies.

The party raised alarm over massive irregularities in these constituencies and accused the NDC of masterminding the irregularities.

Representative of the president-elect, Osafo Marfo

On Wednesday, the NPP’s transition team said it had  information that the government is improperly dishing out contracts and appointments after losing power.

A representative of the president-elect on the transition team Yaw Osafo Maafo said this is part of several complaints and allegations which have come to the attention of the NPP transition team.

At the Accra International Conference Centre where the handing-over meeting is being held, the co-chairperson warned that the NPP will probe these allegations when it is sworn into office January 7, 2017.

Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Kweku Baako proffered a reason he believes caused the NDC to lose the general elections.

He said on Peace Fm’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’ on Wednesday that the president’s refusal to heed to advice was partly the reason for his defeat and must deal with it.

Citing President Mahama’s show of executive power during the controversial Montie Three incident among others, the veteran journalist said the NDC should not have expected anything less than a loss.

Nii Ayi Bonte (arrowed)

Kweku Baako also called on the media to smoke out Nii Ayi Bonte from his rat hole and compel him to speak . The Ga chief had promised to abdicate his stool if Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential elections to speak.

The veteran journalist who has consistently kicked against the participation of chiefs in politics lashed ut at Nii Ayi Bonte II, who like others blatantly went against the constitutional provision which forbids them from being partisan.

In Nii Ayi Bonte’s case, he pledged to abdicate his stool if President Mahama did not win the December polls. The chief has since gone into hiding, but Baako urged the media not to let him off the hook.

Kofi Portuphy

On Thursday news kept trickling in about the abuse supporters of the NDC have been subjected to. Not being able to take it anymore, the party held a press conference to state its position on the development.

Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Kofi Portuphy expressed disgust at the violent reactions of supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following their victory in the 2016 general elections.

The National Chairman who has assumed leadership of the party following President Mahama's defeat, listed attacks against government and party officials since the December 9 declaration of the NPP as winner of the polls and warned that subsequent ones will not go unretaliated.

But MP for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong found the comments unfortunate. He blasted the NDC chairman and said he will be the first to fall if his comments incited violence in the country.

Officials of the NDC on the same day issued a stern caution to its supporters who have blamed the party’s defeat on the leadership, and have chosen the media to express their grievancies.

At a press conference in Accra Thursday, NDC National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy said any discussion of the party’s internal wrangling in the media breaches its rules and regulations.

Spokesperson of the transition team, Hannah Tetteh

Well, there seems to be some confusion within the transition team. On Friday it was revealed that both parties have been trading accusations and counter-accusations against each other, suggesting a mutual lack of trust.

The latest evidence of this debacle is the outgoing government’s dismissal of allegations by the Acting General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, that the handing over notes made available to the incoming government have been “doctored”.

Away from that, but still on politics, there is a quiet but intense lobbying within the NPP as President-elect prepares to name his government and make more than 4,000 appointments in Ghana’s highly centralized political system.

Nana Akufo-Addo was expected to submit the list to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Executive Committee (NEC) for review, however, at a meeting Thursday, December 15, 2016, he did not provide the list but asked for more time.

Veteran parliamentarian and former Sekondi MP Papa Owusu Ankomah told Joy News he feels honoured to be mentioned as a possible candidate for the position of Speaker of Parliament following his party’s triumph in the 2016 general elections.

Some elephants are also on a rampage in the Central Region. Some Cocoa Farmers at Assin Seriboukrom and Aboabo camp in the Assin South District of the Central Region are expressing concern about rampaging elephants destroying their cocoa farms.

The farmers say they sometimes have to risk their lives by confronting the elephants with sticks. The elephants are said to be from the Kakum Forest but they feed on and destroy cocoa farms in the area. 

They want government as well as the Game and Wildlife Department to act or they’ll have to gun down the animals to save their farms.