In a sharp critique, National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist, Dela Coffie has criticized the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, accusing it of rejecting transparency by refusing to subject the 2024 electoral register to an independent forensic audit.
Dela Coffie, a leading member of the opposition party, in a scathing critique, argued that the EC’s actions cast doubts on the credibility of the country’s electoral system, as the commission continues to face allegations of anomalies in the voter register, particularly in strongholds of the NDC.
“I mean, you have been presented with anomalies of your work as well as the arbitrary transfer of votes from across the country in clear violation of regulation 22 of C.I.91, to which you have admitted to the illegality and have gone ahead and interdicted the officers involved – Mind you, all of these anomalies and illegalities could only be identified in NDC strongholds”.
Dela Coffie, NDC Activist
He expressed deep concerns over the EC’s resistance to conducting an independent forensic audit of the electoral roll, a move he believes would resolve the controversy and restore public confidence in the electoral system.
“Why is the commission running away from dispelling the claims of a ‘compromised register’ through an independent forensic audit?” Dela Coffie questioned, accusing the EC of shielding itself from accountability.
According to him, such an audit would clear up existing doubts and ensure the electoral process is transparent and credible ahead of the 2024 elections.
Lack of Principled Leadership
Dela Coffie further questioned Madam Jean Mensa, the current Chairperson of the EC, who he said once championed the idea of an independent forensic audit of the voter roll when she served as the Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in 2015.
He pointed out that at the time, Madam Jean Mensa invoked Article 46 of the Ghanaian Constitution to back her call for the audit.
However, in her current position, Dela Coffie accused Madam Jean Mensa of backtracking, a decision that, in his view, signals a worrying erosion of democratic principles under her leadership.
“To be consistent, you’d expect her to be supportive of the same call today but no, as the chairperson of the EC, all the signals that keep coming out from her outfit are constant straw-manning and amplification of the commission’s growing failures and extremity”.
Dela Coffie, NDC Activist
The activist’s criticism of Madam Jean Mensa and the EC goes further, portraying the commission’s leadership as blind to its growing failures.
“It doesn’t matter how you define it, but quite clearly, the EC under Jean Mensa is fundamentally flawed as an institution of democracy,” Dela Coffie asserted.
He expressed frustration with what he sees as the EC’s “willing myopia” and refusal to address the flaws in its own processes, particularly as more questions about the credibility of the electoral roll arise.
EC’s Reluctance to Allow an Independent Forensic Audit
In Dela Coffie’s view, the EC’s reluctance to allow an independent forensic audit stands in stark contrast to its claim that the voter register is free of anomalies.
“The electoral roll that the EC has given a clean bill of health is wobbling under the scrutiny test,” he lamented. He criticized the commission’s focus on dismissing concerns rather than addressing them head-on, leading to what he described as “vacuum disputation” rather than a commitment to the truth.
For Dela Coffie, this unwillingness to engage in meaningful scrutiny undermines the commission’s role as a guardian of democracy.
Beyond the technical and legal irregularities, Dela Coffie emphasised the constitutional dimension of the issue, stating that the right to vote is enshrined in Ghana’s Constitution and that the EC has to uphold this right.
“If the commissioners at the EC are too constrained by their own ‘willing myopia’ and can’t see beyond the end of their noses, then someone needs to drum home the point that the right to vote is a fundamental human right”.
Dela Coffie, NDC Activist
He called on the EC to safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s electoral system, ensuring that every eligible Ghanaian is given the opportunity to vote without hindrance.
In concluding his sharp rebuke, Dela Coffie urged the EC and its leadership to abandon their defensive posture and focus on restoring faith in the country’s electoral process.
“Jean Mensa and her associates at the EC need to get off their high horses and start focusing their efforts on getting the job done in a manner that even the losing party won’t have a problem accepting the outcome,” Dela Coffie stressed.
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