The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of manipulating the electoral process and alleged that the process was fraught with challenges and violations of regulations.
It noted that the commission had violated the regulation in respect of the Public Election Regulation, Constitutional Instrument (CI 91) which was the governing law the exhibition of the voters’ register was being conducted.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the National Chairman of the NDC, alleged that the EC was manipulating the electoral process.
He alleged that the exercise was fraught with challenges and violations of regulations especially in respect of the Public Election regulations C.I.91 that was the governing law under which the exercise was being conducted.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo enumerated issues including late arrival of registers, incomplete and absence of portions of the 2012, 2016,and 2019 voters register, absence of biometric verification devices at most polling stations, misalignment of polling station codes, bloated exception list, and absence of commission officers.
However, the commission had indicated with concern a number of allegations leadership of the party had made in sections of the media on ongoing exhibition of voters register.
A statement signed and issued by Sylvia Annoh, Acting Director of Communications of EC, said the allegations were calculated and targeted at creating an erroneous impression about the EC and causing disaffection between its leadership and the public.
It said the party should have used formal channel to communicate concerns to the commission saying, “It is unfortunate NDC continues to use the media to raise concerns which can easily be resolved after deliberations with it.
“The essence of the exhibition exercise was to afford all registered voters the opportunity to check and verify their names and particulars, in order to make corrections, to mistakes on their details,” and it reiterated that “the provisional voters register was exhibited at all polling stations to enable all stakeholders and registered voters to assist and support the processes of cleaning the register”.
On the accusations of the EC failing to supply the party with a copy of the provisional voters register in contravention of CI 91, the commission reminded the law mandated it to provide a copy of provisional register to political parties not later than three months after the end of the registration. -GNA
