At a press conference the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, strongly criticized the Electoral Commission (EC) over what he described as illegal electoral collation and declaration being conducted at the Police Training School in Tesano.
The NDC Chairman accused the EC of engaging in unlawful practices. He emphasized;
“We in the NDC believe that what is happening at the Police Training School amounts to illegality. It is not founded on any laws of our elections, nor is it based on any consensus that has been reached between the parties and the Electoral Commission.’’
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
He further issued a stern warning to the EC and other involved parties; “There could be consequences for their actions in the future.”
The NDC Chairman detailed the proper procedure for elections in Ghana to highlight the deviations being undertaken by the EC.
He stressed the importance of transparency at polling stations. He charged;
“The process of our elections is clear, after voting, votes are counted, and the results are entered on result declaration forms, commonly referred to as the pink sheets. The presiding officer at the polling station announces the outcomes, after which all party agents sign and receive copies of the results. This is one of the most important checks in our elections. Elections are won or lost at polling stations.”
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Asiedu Nketiah criticized the EC for allegedly involving the security agencies. He queried;
“We tried to find out why the police accepted to protect people engaged in some illegality, the Electoral Commission misinformed the police that political parties had reached a consensus to establish this center. We are not part of it. We have never discussed any of these things with the Electoral Commission anywhere.”
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Concerns Over Results Manipulation
The Chairman expressed concerns about the recounting and re-declaration of results at Tesano, particularly in constituencies where results had already been collated and declared. He cited a specific case;
“For instance, a constituency whose results had been collated and declared at Begoro was now being re-collated and declared at the Police Training School by someone other than the returning officer. This cannot be called re-declaration because the person doing it is not even authorized. It reminds me of the drama in Parliament where Mr. Speaker takes a decision and the following day, the NPP forces a deputy speaker to reverse it. This is the hallmark of the NPP’s impunity.”
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Asiedu Nketiah underscored the exclusive powers of returning officers in a parliamentary or presidential election. He clarified;
“No other person can pronounce on the presidential elections apart from the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Similarly, at the constituency level, only the returning officer is mandated to declare parliamentary results. Officers claiming they were coerced to declare results and are now redeclaring them are on the wrong side of the law.”
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Asiedu Nketiah emphasized the party’s commitment to maintaining peace but warned that continued illegal actions would lead to serious consequences.
“We have proceeded to court and applied to injunct the process. We are putting the Electoral Commission and all others involved in this illegality on notice: what they are doing amounts to an illegality. If they choose to proceed, there will be consequences for them in the future.”
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Asiedu Nketiah’s press conference was a clarion call for adherence to Ghana’s electoral laws and processes.
By outlining the proper procedures and highlighting the deviations by the EC, the NDC Chairman reinforced the need for transparency and accountability in elections.
His remarks signal the party’s determination to resist any actions that undermine Ghana’s democratic principles.
