From dawn to dusk: Echoes from 2024 Elections

About a year ago, on December 7, 2024, millions of Ghanaians rose before sunrise with a single mission: to make their voices count and their thumbs speak in the general election organised by the Electoral Commission.

From coastal towns to northern communities, long queues formed outside polling centres as the electorate, young and old, stood with a shared sense of purpose.

It was a familiar national moment, yet one Ghanaians never took lightly.

Confidence and anxiety walked together as voters whispered prayers, election officers cross-checked details and polling agents took their places as guardians of the people’s will.

Democracy had called again, and the people responded, not only with faith, but with determination.

As the sun rose over Ghana, the atmosphere shifted from tension to excitement.

Ink-stained fingers became silent badges of honour.

Some voters stood for hours, fuelled by hope that their ballot would reset the nation’s path.

Others believed theirs would affirm continuity.

People’s victory

The real test began when the polls closed. Ballots were counted deep into the night, with some being counted with the aid of phone lights and lanterns.

Slowly and transparently, under the watchful eyes of party representatives, each ballot paper was unfolded — each one, a story of trust, expectation, possibility and hope.

The night of December 7, into the dawn and dusk of December 8, became a defining moment shaped not only by voters but also by those who defended the transparency of the process and members of the Fourth Estate who kept the nation informed from start to finish.

Behind the scenes, strategy teams, party executives and communications officers worked tirelessly to ensure that no voice was subverted or suppressed.

They countered schemes, monitored processes and protected the integrity of the vote.

Mandate for change

For many, the 2024 General Election was more than a contest for political power. It was a test of trust, a chance to rebalance governance, and an opportunity to reshape the Legislature in particular.

It was a dual agenda — change and continuity — summed up in the competing slogans “Resetting” by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and “It’s Possible” by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In the end, the people spoke with their thumbs. They chose “Resetting”, a promise to rebuild a Ghana that works for all, and not just a privileged few.

A year on, President John Dramani Mahama, who was elected and sworn-in, said in his statement to the nation that the promise still stands.

Resetting Ghana, he noted, remained central to his administration’s mission. The mandate, he stressed, was not political rhetoric but “a promise in progress” aimed at restoring hope, expanding opportunities and strengthening institutions.

The President described December 7, 2024, as a vivid reminder of the faith of millions who stood ready to reclaim Ghana’s future.

“That belief was not accidental. It was built on a promise of a fairer, more inclusive nation,” he said.

He acknowledged the role of the NDC polling agents, the party’s “own referees”, who, he said, stood as the eyes and ears of the nation, protecting the integrity of every vote.

Heartbeat of democracy

At the heart of the President’s message was gratitude: to every voter who trusted in the ballot, to loyalists who kept faith, and to families who stood together through uncertainty.

Their reward, he reminded supporters, lies not in quick appointments or positions, but in the long-term transformation of a nation where justice prevails and hard work leads to success.

Dawn will come again.

The election on December 7 and the days that followed were more than a political contest.

They were a reawakening of national will.

One year on, Ghanaians still remember the suspense, the unity and the collective belief that their vote could shape tomorrow.

Democracy may not be perfect, but that day proved its power when citizens stand as one.

Those memories continue to chart the path ahead. 

As the President reflects with determination, the journey remains long, but the direction is clear.

The work goes on as Ghanaians look towards another December 7, 2028, to decide once again the future of the nation.

A future still in the people’s hands, built from dawn to dusk, one thumb, one decision at a time.     — GNA