The founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Atta Mills Institute, is proposing strict measures to prevent media houses and political parties from calling the results of our elections, ahead of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Koku Anyidoho, says Ghana must learn from Nigeria’s example and allow the EC, to be the only body that declares or calls for an election.
He was speaking on his observation as an ECOWAS election observer, from the just-ended general elections in Nigeria. He said in Nigeria, it was a criminal offense for any media house, to call on or for an election, ahead of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).
“One very interesting thing I discovered about the Nigeria electoral process, that I believe as a policy think tank; we should discuss as a country, is that according to Nigerian electoral laws, it must only take the INEC to declare the results. Ghana, should follow suit and allow only our EC to declare results. If we have all agreed that when it comes to a very important issue like an election and the tension it creates, why should we sit down and allow political parties, individuals, and, with all due respect, the media houses to call results?
“Why should we let the media call the results before the EC? Some political parties, declare themselves winners. So, when the EC issues an official declaration of the results, people will begin to contest them.”
Koku Anyidoho
He said, that although these media houses call the results and do not declare them, the calling of the results are just a euphemism for its declaration.
“Meanwhile, you have no constitutional mandate to call the results. The EC, is the only body that is mandated to declare the results. So, why don’t we wait for the EC to declare the results, but for the media and political parties, to call the results and declare ourselves winners?”
Koku Ayidoho
Desist From Confusion
Koku Anyidoho, advised that the media houses and political parties, should desist from adding to the ruckus on the day of election or confusing the electorates, but should rather allow the Electoral Commission (EC), deal with the election declaration, whiles the media houses followed closely.
He added, “we must all agree as a country that from 2024 going- and the Atta Mills Institute; as a public policy advocacy think tank, we’ll see how we champion this narrative, and I know Rainbow Radio would be of help; let us agree as a nation, that if it is the EC legally and constitutionally mandated to organize an election, let us allow the EC to make the declaration then we can all have the discussion.”
He stressed, that if the Electoral Commission (EC), is not allowed to call on or declare the election results themselves, but rather the media houses and other people go ahead of the EC to call on results, thus, generating a problem; where the people of Ghana are unable to deal with the outcomes, even when they are the only truth.
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