Atiku Iddrisu
8 January 2009
Thousands of people from all walks of life yesterday converged at the Independence Square in Accra to witness the swearing in of Professor John Evans Atta Mills as the third President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
Some of the Heads of State and representatives of governments who graced the occasion included President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua of Nigera, President Faure Gnassigbe of Togo, Junichiro Koizumi, former Prime Minister of Japan, Jean Ping, Chairman of Africa Union Commission and Ms Pamela Bridgewater, former US Ambassador to Ghana.
Traditional rulers from all over the country and religious leaders including the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usumanu Nuhu Sharubutu, were among dignitaries at the function.
Conspicuously present at the function was President Kufuor, whom Professor Mills took over from and President Kufuor's predecessor, Jerry John Rawlings.
President Atta Mills and Vice President John Mahama took the oath of allegiance and the presidential oath from Chief Justice Georgina Wood.
Prof. Mills in his acceptance speech thanked Ghanaians for electing him President and pledged to help all citizens build a better Ghana.
With reference to the keenly contested elections that saw him emerge as the eventual winner, Prof Mills expressed gratitude to God for "seeing us through the election" and advised Ghanaians to put the elections behind them and move ahead as one people with a common destiny.
Prof Mills commended all his competitors during the December 2008 presidential elections especially the NPP candidate Nana Akufo Addo for "giving me a run for my money".
President Atta Mills promised to unite Ghanaians as one people by healing wounds and striving to maintain the unity of the country. "There would be no room for political vendetta, blame game and witch-hunting...Justice, equality and fairness would prevail", he said.
Professor Atta Mills hinted that improvement in internal security would be one of the best priorities of his administration and assured the nation that cases of armed robbery among other crimes would reduce to the barest minimum.
Prior to the swearing in of Prof Atta Mills and Mr. John Mahama, a retired Supreme Court judge Mrs. Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo made history when she was elected unopposed as the first woman to assume the high office of the Speaker of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Parliament also elected Mr. Doe Adjaho, NDC MP for Ave Avenor, and Professor Mike Ocquaye, NPP MP for Dome Kwabenya, as the First and Second Deputy Speakers respectively.
Mr. Adjaho has been in parliament for 16 years and has for 12 years been in the leadership of the NDC in Parliament.
Prof. Oquaye was former Minister of Energy and Minister of Communications under the NPP administration. He entered Parliament in 2004 after serving as Ghana's High Commissioner to India.
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