The Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer, has voiced the party’s concerns regarding the conduct of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.
Reacting to an Afrobarometer report, which rated the EC as one of Ghana’s least trusted institutions, Dr. Tanko-Computer expressed his dissatisfaction with the current leadership of the EC and questioned its commitment to earning public trust.
Dr. Tanko-Computer highlighted that the Afrobarometer report’s findings were unsurprising to the NDC.
The report, which measures public trust across various institutions, ranked the EC among the lowest, indicating widespread public skepticism.
According to Dr. Tanko-Computer, this distrust stems from what he described as a lack of transparency and a failure to uphold the integrity expected from such a critical institution.
“Clearly, I think the report is even charitable to the Electoral Commission. The 28% they’ve chopped is charitable to them. They should have been somewhere around 10%.”
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
This pointed critique reflects the NDC’s belief that the EC’s actions have significantly damaged its credibility, leading to a level of trust that is undeservedly high in the view of Dr. Tanko-Computer.
Integrity and Transparency Concerns
Dr. Tanko-Computer elaborated on the NDC’s grievances, emphasizing the lack of integrity displayed by the EC under its current administration. He claimed that the EC’s behavior and posturing towards electoral processes reveal an institution that is not up to the task of conducting free and fair elections.
“… This current Electoral Commission, their integrity is in touches completely. They have not shown enough to warrant even the 28% they have chopped.”
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Dr. Tanko-Computer criticized the EC’s perceived complacency and highlighted that their approach appears to lack accountability and transparency.
According to him, the EC operates with an attitude that “God is for us all,” which he argued is insufficient for a body entrusted with the essential responsibility of managing Ghana’s electoral process.
Incidents at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC)
The NDC official also pointed to issues at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings since January of this year.
“Since the beginning of this year, January, when we started attending IPAC, I didn’t know because of our ingenuity and our eagle eye. A lot would have happened in this country. We had to prevent certain happenings from the Electoral Commission, and we had to expose certain behavior of them for the general public to come in.”
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Dr. Tanko-Computer suggested that the NDC’s close monitoring has led to increased scrutiny of the EC’s practices, thus allowing the public to become more aware of potential issues.
The Issue of the Provisional Voter Register
One of the specific concerns raised by Dr. Tanko-Computer involved the EC’s handling of the voter register.
“For the first time, you’ve seen that when they had to abandon their provisional voter register and come out with a revised provisional voter register and even have to go further to do an additional exhibition, albeit an online exhibition. It has never happened because of their behavior, their attitude.”
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
For Dr. Tanko-Computer, these actions reflect a lack of preparation and poor decision-making, which he believes has further eroded public trust in the EC.
Continued Vigilance and Oversight
He reiterated that the NDC would maintain its oversight to ensure that the EC does not “short-change” Ghanaians. His closing statement underscored the importance of transparency and vigilance in preserving the electoral process.
“And so, we’ll keep on monitoring them. We’ll keep on even our eagle eye on them. To be sure that they don’t short-chain Ghanaians.”
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
This strong statement from Dr. Tanko-Computer underscored the NDC’s belief that the EC must be held accountable and that only through vigilant oversight can the integrity of Ghana’s elections be protected.
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer’s criticisms reflect deep-seated concerns within the NDC about the EC’s current leadership and practices.
His comments suggested that the NDC is prepared to continue challenging the EC’s operations to ensure greater transparency and accountability. With public trust in the EC reportedly low, the NDC’s calls for reform and oversight underscore the importance of restoring faith in Ghana’s electoral process as the nation approaches future elections.
