The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Eastern Region has condemned the arrest and detention of its Constituency Secretary during the ongoing proxy and voter transfer exercise at the Adeiso District office of the Electoral Commission (EC).
The National Democratic Congress’s Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs, Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi, in a statement vehemently criticised the detention of the party’s Constituency Secretary for several hours by the Adeiso Police Command.
“We are also aware that the same police at Adeiso sacked the NDC agents at the District office of the EC on the basis that no agents are required or allowed at the EC office during the proxy and voter transfer exercise.
“As the Director of Legal for the party in the region, I spoke with the police officer concerned and he intimated to me that the guidelines supplied to the police state that no agents are required to be present during the proxy and voter transfer exercise”.
Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi,National Democratic Congress Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs
Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi, the National Democratic Congress’s Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs, however, vehemently disputed the Electoral Commission’s claims, suggesting that no agents are required to be present during the proxy and voter transfer exercise.
According to Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi, an agreement was reached at the last Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting allowing political party agents to be present during such exercises.
He stated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) agents are currently present at Electoral Commission’s offices nationwide, underscoring a discrepancy in enforcing such guidelines.
EC’s Inconsistencies to Create Tension
Furthermore, the National Democratic Congress’s Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs posited that the inconsistency regarding the decision by the Electoral Commission could creates unnecessary tension and poses a risk to the peace and fairness of the electoral process.
He emphasized that the Electoral Commission must ensure uniformity in the application of rules and guidelines to prevent any perception of bias or deliberate attempts to skew the elections in favour of the NPP or any other entity.
Again, the National Democratic Congress’s Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs urged the Electoral Commission to clarify the guidelines provided to the police and to ensure that all stakeholders, including political parties, are adequately informed of the rules governing electoral activities.
He emphasized that the current situation could escalate and affect the integrity of the upcoming elections., adding that the arrest of the party’s Constituency Secretary and the removal of its agents were completely unnecessary and must not be repeated.
“We cannot confirm whether indeed it is true that the guidelines given to the police state that agents of the political parties are not allowed at the District office of the EC.
“But if this is true that would be completely unacceptable and we in the region would not want a repeat of such situation for the peace of the region and to ensure that the upcoming elections are truly free and fair without a deliberate attempt to skew the elections in favor of the NPP or any other entity”.
Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi,National Democratic Congress’s Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs
Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi, the National Democratic Congress’s Eastern Regional Director of Legal Affairs concluded his remarks by underscoring the party’s commitment to ensuring that the electoral process remains free, fair, and transparent, therefore called for immediate action to rectify the situation and prevent future occurrences.
He also reiterated the opposition party in the Eastern Region’s dedication to working with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders to uphold the principles of democracy and electoral integrity in Ghana.
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