The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured the general public that the results of the presidential elections that it is going to be declared will reflect the will of the people.
Contained in a statement from the Commission, field officials are working tirelessly to ensure the delivery of apt results.
“The Commission wishes to inform the general public that the process of collating election results at all the constituencies and regional collation centers is currently ongoing in the presence of political party agents.
“The commission staff and field officials are working round the clock to ensure that the collated results are accurate and a true reflection of the will of the people of Ghana who turned out in their numbers to vote in the December elections”.
According to the EC, “the Commission at its National Collation Centre in Accra is only receiving collated presidential elections results from 16 regions as opposed to results from 275 constituencies as has been the case in the past”.
“As such we urge the public and stakeholders to remain calm and patient. The Commission will release all the verified results as soon as they are received. The Commission reminds the public that it remains the sole legally mandated body to declare presidential election result in Ghana”.
It further urged candidates, their supporters, the media and the public “to desist from declaring presidential results as this is in contravention of the law and the threat and peace and stability of the nation”.
The Commission in an invitation had upheld its commitment to announce the Presidential election results within 24 hours after the ballots had been cast.
The EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa revealed that, at 5 pm today, the Commission would declare the results for Ghanaians to know the next occupant of the Jubilee House.
This decision came under heavy scrutiny and backlash from various quarters casting aspersions over their claim.
The Director of Elections for the NDC, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, during press conference at the party headquarters, noted, the EC has not received results from a single constituency at its headquarters to be able to declare the result within the 24-hour timeline.
Expressing his concern over the situation, Mr. Afriyie Ankrah said, “as we sit here, we have a team that has been at the EC’s collation centre since yesterday, that is the strong room” and speaking on authority, “not even one results has gone to the collation centre and then they claim they will declare results in 24 hours”.
“How are you going to declare? It has to go through a process. Even more seriously, Greater Accra and in some regions, they declare results and not one results has come. All the results must come to the regional office and be collated. What is going on?”
He further accused the NPP of trying to use trickery “to change results by ordering recounts of ballots at the collations centers which is illegal”.
“If you recount there is a process that you have to go through. The first recount you must request for is at the polling station. When that is done, then if you are not satisfied you have to request for a second collation at the polling station but that is done at the collation centre. Because they know they are losing they use the recount and in the process they do all kinds of things. That is why we were calling people to be at the polling centres to support our agents”.
In a recent statement however, the Commission has reneged on its promise in delivering the Presidential results at 5pm today indicating that a new timeline will be communicated shortly.
“The Commission has continually reiterated that transparency, integrity and fairness are the yardstick by which it conducted the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
“As such, to ensure the declared presidential results are 100% accurate and reflective of the will of the people”, the Commission has urged stakeholders to remain patient as collations are underway.
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