News:
December 7, 2010
The NPP Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto has said he expects Presidents in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region, to use today’s meeting to strongly impress upon President Laurent Gbagbo to step down after losing the recent Ivory Coast election.
He has urged the body of Presidents to call President Gbagbo to order, as his action has the tendency throwing the country into prolong chaos.
The various Presidents are holding a one day extraordinary meeting in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, to deliberate on the current crisis in Ivory Coast. Neither Mr Gbagbo nor Mr Ouattara has been invited.
President Gbagbo has refused to concede defeat and step down after the country’s Electoral Commission a week ago declared Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the 28th November presidential election run-off. Ivory Coast now has two presidents, Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ouattara have both been sworn –in with each naming separate cabinets.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show, Hon, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, described the current situation in Ivory Coast as deeply worrying which calls for immediate action to solve the impasse and also prevent a refugee situation in Ghana which shares border with Ivory Coast.
He noted that the situation has left the border town of Elubo virtually dead with businesses badly affected because of the state of insecurity.
“One would have hoped that by now, on the African continent, we would have gone past those days of ridiculous situations like we have now in Ivory Coast,” he said.
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, added that Africa as a continent cannot continue to paint a negative picture of itself in the eyes of the international community and called on ECOWAS to take immediate action to remedy the situation in Ivory Coast.
Story by : Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh