The Director of Research and Elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Evans Nimako, has addressed the need for greater gender representation in Ghana’s political space.
He began by stressing the importance of women’s involvement in politics, referencing the great Dr. Aggrey; “It is not for any reason that the great philosopher said, when you educate a woman, you educate a nation”. Mr. Nimako further emphasized that the NPP and the government would continue to champion the cause of women. He pointed out the disparity in female representation within parliament, noting that Kenya’s system reserved specific seats for women, which promoted their participation in the legislative process.
“We have as little as 36 women in this context. It’s very minimal and that’s not what we need. A house of 276, we cannot, as we speak, vouch for more than 60 women representation, that’s not good for us.”
Mr. Evans Nimako the Director of Research and Elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
He emphasized that all political stakeholders must work together to improve the situation: He noted; “All hands must be on deck. The New Patriotic Party will come on board at any time.”
The Election Balloting Incident and EC Disqualification
Moreover, Shifting the conversation from gender representation to a recent controversy at the Electoral Commission (EC) headquarters, Mr. Nimako discussed the disqualification of 11 aspirants and the chaotic scenes that followed. While touching on the aftermath of the disqualification, Nimako dismissed suggestions that there was any wrongdoing or swapping of ballots between the NPP and other political parties. When asked directly if the NPP had swapped a ballot with Kofi Akalu, he responded firmly.
“I don’t know where this is coming from, and we must not, at any point, entertain such an idea or talk in our discourse. Not at all, nothing out of that sort happened.”
Mr. Evans Nimako the Director of Research and Elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
Mr. Nimako then moved to the events surrounding the balloting process, describing the unfortunate events that took place and the NDC’s dissatisfaction with how the Electoral Commission managed the exercise. According to him, the NDC made claims about the process being compromised, which the NPP found unfounded. He emphasized that the EC outlined the process to the political parties before the exercise began, ensuring transparency. “The EC spelled out to us the mode of conduct of the whole exercise, spelled out the rules of the game”, he stated.
“Our colleagues in the NDC decided to examine the balls that the numbers were going to be placed into… They did this examination based on the nature, the form, the character, and the weight of that small ball.”
Mr. Evans Nimako the Director of Research and Elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
After the examination, the process continued as planned. Nimako reiterated that the NPP picked number 1, followed by other parties picking in subsequent order.
NDC’s Objections and Calls for Re-Balloting
However, as the exercise progressed, the NDC raised objections after the first round of balloting. They claimed that one of the balls used was unique and introduced bias into the process. He reiterated; “NDC issue was that there was one ball that was unique and that it had introduced some level of biases into the whole exercise”.
The NPP disagreed with this assertion, maintaining that the EC’s administrative arrangements were fair and transparent.
“New Patriotic Party said no. We agree that the EC has administrative arrangements for conducting this, and this is not the first time we are in for ballot.”
“The general secretary, Honorable Fifi Kwetey, said that some leaks have been given to favor the New Patriotic Party. Neither here nor there, and that’s not true”.
Mr. Evans Nimako the Director of Research and Elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
He firmly denied any malpractice or favoritism, underscoring that the NPP’s win in the balloting was legitimate.
The Role of the EC and the NDC’s Influence
Mr. Nimako expressed his disappointment with how the EC handled the NDC’s objections during the balloting exercise. He stated that the NDC’s attempt to influence the process was uncalled for and should not have been entertained by the EC. He emphasized; “We were so shocked that the EC sat and allowed the NDC to dictate the mode of conduct of the whole exercise.”
However, despite these challenges, Mr. Nimako refrained from describing the scene as disgraceful. He highlighted that while some people viewed the events as embarrassing, he believed that the NPP had abided by the rules set out by the EC, and the party had every right to defend the integrity of the process. Mr. Nimako called for a more organized and transparent process moving forward, stressing that the NPP remained committed to participating in fair and transparent elections.
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