Dr. Rashid Tanko, Deputy Director of Elections and IT of the NDC has stated that the party’s request to have its meeting with the Electoral Commission (EC) broadcast live is aimed at promoting transparency, a value that the EC claims to uphold.
Dr. Tanko emphasized that citizens have the right to be informed about the extent of the damage caused to the voters’ register by the EC, ensuring transparency and accountability
He indicated that the NDC is astonished that the EC refused its request, despite the Commission’s professed commitment to transparency in its operations.
“Why are they now choosing opacity over transparency? That is the question the media should be asking them because what do they have to hide? It appears they are hiding something from the general public”.
“It is the Ghanaians’ register. The exhibition was done publicly. All these things that we saw and cataloged [for which we are meeting them], have been done publicly. So why are they now hiding behind the scenes? They don’t want the cameras to come and see the extent of damage uncovered”.
Dr. Rashid Tanko
Dr. Tanko highlighted the EC’s initial unwillingness to collaborate, revealing that if not for the NDC’s diligence, the Commission would still be denying the existence of errors in the voter register.
He disclosed that the EC had initially dismissed the NDC’s concerns about the discrepancies in the voter register, insisting that the register was accurate and reliable, only to later concede to the existence of errors.
“When we started churning out some of the discrepancies one by one, that is when they these people [the NDC] are sitting on something”. – Dr. Rashid Tanko
The NDC stalwart observed that the tone of the EC’s statement rejecting the NDC’s request implies a deliberate attempt to minimize the significance and severity of the issue, rather than acknowledging its gravity.
The EC’s statement, Dr. Tanko noted, was conspicuously silent on key issues, including the contentious matter of voter transfers in various constituencies, leaving concerns unaddressed.
Illegal Voter Transfer: A First In Ghana’s Electoral History
Furthermore, Dr. Rashid Tanko emphasized that, in an unprecedented move in Ghana’s electoral history, the EC is perpetrating illegality by transferring voters, a move that undermines the rights of the Ghanaian people.
Dr. Tanko declared that although the NDC will participate in the meeting as scheduled, despite the EC’s refusal to grant its request, the party will explore alternative avenues to ensure public involvement and maintain transparency.
Dr. Tanko asserted that the NDC will keep the media informed and up-to-date on all developments related to the voter register controversy, ensuring that the public is well-informed.
“The meeting is not for the Electoral Commission alone, it is for the whole country. We want the sanctity of our electoral process to be upheld. It is not for the Commission to keep the thing and put it under [the] carpet”.
“Exhibition concerns are not addressed at IPAC. You didn’t give us the PVR (provisional voter register) to come and decorate our offices. It was given to us to peruse it. If we peruse it and we see discrepancies, the right place to discuss it is the Electoral Commission [and] that is why we wrote to them”.
Dr. Rashid Tanko
Dr. Tanko stressed that it is the Electoral Commission’s responsibility to rectify the irregularities and discrepancies that the NDC has identified in the voter register, ensuring its accuracy and integrity.
He highlighted that effective data management is a significant challenge for the Electoral Commission, and emphasized that the NDC intends to assist the Commission in addressing and resolving these issues.
The NDC stalwart noted that the EC owes the public an explanation for the anomalies that have arisen, to create a transparent and conducive environment for establishing a credible and error-free voter register in Ghana.
Dr. Tanko suggested that if the National Peace Council’s meetings, which address sensitive topics, can be televised, then there’s no reason why a meeting between the Electoral Commission and the NDC, discussing critical electoral issues, should not be televised as well.
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