The Electoral Commission says it did not receive prior notice of the intended presentation by the minority caucus as its being chanted by the opposition NDC.
In a statement released by the Commission, it stated that, it was only at a later period the Electoral Commission “learnt that the Minority in Parliament delivered the said letter informing the Electoral Commission of its intended presentation scheduled for Tuesday the 22nd of December at 10:08”.
The EC’s comment follows assertions made by the Minority in Parliament who threatened to boycott the Electoral Commission’s (EC) next appearance before the house over their being denied audience with the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa.
Collectively, the opposition MPs, on Tuesday December 22, 2020, walked towards the headquarters of the Commission, at Ridge in Accra.
Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader, reading the details of the petition, revealed that, as a result of their petition being ignored, they will in a similar vein disregard the Electoral Chairperson when she appears before Parliament.
“We will boycott the EC coming forward in Parliament. We will boycott her and her Commission. We will not be heard, she will never be heard by us”.
The EC however denied these claims by the minority which alleges “a refusal of the Commission’s Chairperson to receive a petition from the Minority Caucus in Parliament”.
“For the record, the Electoral Commission wishes to inform the General Public that it did not receive prior notice of the said presentation of the petition from the Minority Caucus”.
According to the Commission, the letter gives the start time of the said presentation as 10:00am, giving the Commission “no notice to receive the Minority Caucus given that the Chairperson and her senior team were not in the office”.
Without mincing words, the leadership of the Electoral Commission expressed their respect and commitment to hold dear “Ghana’s institutions of State, a key one being the Parliament of Ghana”.
“As such, had the Electoral Commission been properly notified of the said presentation, its leadership would have been present to receive the petition from the Minority in Parliament”.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) feeling convicted about its parliamentary candidate win for the Techiman South seat in the just-ended general election revealed the MP won by 293 votes.
Speaking at a press conference late Tuesday, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu explained that the government is working to “deny the NDC a parliamentary majority.”
According to the party, data available to them indicates that the NDC secured 50,306 votes against the NPP’s 50,013 with 919 rejected ballots.
Meanwhile, the Sagnarigu Member of Parliament, Fuseini Bashir Alhassan, says members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are prepared to lay down their lives to protect and defend the democracy of the country.
He said the party would not succumb to any form of intimidation in their pursuit to seek justice in the just ended-polls.
“If we [NDC] have to die to defend this democracy we will do it. We would not allow anyone to suppress us”.
