What Nana Akufo-Addo’s victory means

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party’s Presidential candidate, has been declared by the EC as having won the 2016 Presidential elections.

Here’s is what you need to know about his victory.
—This is the first time in history that an opposition leader has won a Ghanaian election after just one round. In the 2000 Elections, the John Agyekum Kufuor of the NPP needed a run-off to defeat John Atta Mills, the then flagbearer of the incumbent National Democratic Congress. In 2008, John Attah Mills also needed a second round to beat the Presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo Addo.

—This is the third time in Ghana’s history that an incumbent government has lost an election and handed over to the opposition. Others were in 2000 (NDC to NPP) and 2008 (NPP to NDC). This is a rare achievement in Africa.
— Nana Akufo-Addo becomes 13th man to occupy Ghana’s office of Head of State since independence. (*counting all leaders: civilian, military, acting).
— Nana Akufo-Addo become Ghana’s 7th DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED President since independence.
—At 72 years, Nana Akufo-Addo becomes Ghana’s oldest ever Head of State. The youngest was Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, who was 31 when he took over government via a coup in June 1979. The youngest DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED Head of State, however, is Hilla Limann, who was 44 when he was elected President of Ghana after the 1979 elections. The second oldest Head of State was John Evans Attah Mills, who was 64 at the time of his inauguration in 2009.
—John Mahama becomes the first Ghanaian incumbent President to lose an election.
—Nana Akufo-Addo’s victory means it is the first time in Ghana’s history that a father and his son have ruled the land as President. In August 1970, an electoral college elected his father, Justice Edward Akufo-Addo as President of the second Republic of Ghana. However, because of the fact that the Second Republican constitution instituted a Parliamentary system of governance, Edward Addo was only a ceremonial executive. True administrative power lay with the Prime Minister, Dr KA Busia, who assume office when his Progress Party (PP) won the 1969 elections to usher in the Second Republic.
—Nana Akufo-Addo is so far the only President in the Fourth Republic of Ghana (1992-Present) not to be named «John”. There have been Jerry John Rawlings (1993-2001), John Agyekum Kufuor (2001-2009), John Evans Atta Mills (2008-2012) and John Mahama (2012-2016).
— The NPP have now scored three electoral victories, making them the third most successful political party in the country’s electoral history. The first is the Convention People’s Party (CPP) with five (1951, 1954, 1956, 1960 and 1965), followed by the NDC (1992, 1996, 2008, 2012).
—Nana Akufo-Addo becomes the second Presidential candidate in Ghana’s history to win an election on his third attempt after two previous failed attempts (2008, 2012, 2016). The first was John Evans Attah Mills (2000, 2004, 2008).
—Nana Akufo-Addo (Kyebi) becomes the second Ghanaian Head of State to hail from the Eastern Region of Ghana. The first was Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo, Head of State (military) from 1978 to 1979, who was from Akropong in the Eastern Region.
—Nana Akufo-Addo’s running mate, Mahamudu Bawumia, becomes Ghana’s 7th Vice President since independence.
—Mahamudu Bawumia becomes the joint-second youngest Ghanaian Vice President at an age of 53. John Evans Attah Mills was also 53 years when he became Ghana Vice President in 1997. The oldest Ghana Vice President was Kow Nkensen Arkaah, who was 66 when he became Vice President to Jerry John Rawlings in 1993, while the youngest was Joseph de Graf-Johnson, who was 46 when he became Vice President to Hilla Limann in 1979.
—Mahamudu Bawumia becomes the third Ghanaian Vice President to hail from the Northern Region of Ghana. The others are Alhaji Aliu Mahama (2001-2009) and John Dramani Mahama (2009-2012).