Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa Policy Think Tank, has lambasted the current leadership of the Electoral Commission (EC), describing them as the most incompetent among all public sector workers, a stark critique that underscores the need for urgent reform.
Franklin Cudjoe asserted that the Electoral Commission (EC) has not only earned a reputation for dishonesty, deceit, and manipulation but also demonstrated a lackluster performance, making their capacity utterly unremarkable and nothing to boast about.
“Just watch this comical explanation for playing with electoral figures. These were the same IT staff they used in telling us that all biometric devices we bought with hard cash were damaged and must be thrown away”.
Franklin Cudjoe
Furthermore, Franklin Cudjoe, revealed that the same IT staff were involved in tender processes, approving the purchase of multimillion-dollar equipment to replace functional machines, resulting in unnecessary financial losses to the state, which raises serious questions about their motives and stewardship of public resources.
Commenting on the EC’s directive that no political monitors the ongoing vote transfers, Franklin Cudjoe indicated that the EC’s instruction that its sole staff must undertake the process is disingenuous.
Moreover, Franklin Cudjoe criticized the Electoral Commission’s (EC) directive prohibiting political party agents from monitoring the ongoing vote transfers, labeling the EC’s insistence on sole staff involvement as disingenuous and a thinly veiled attempt to undermine transparency and accountability in the process.
As such, Franklin Cudjoe warned that it would be a grave mistake for political parties and their agents to comply with the EC’s directive and blindly trust the Commission to handle the vote transfer process honestly and transparently without their oversight and scrutiny.
Accordingly, he appealed to political parties, their agents, and the public to be watchful and diligent, carefully monitoring the vote transfer process to prevent any potential irregularities and ensure the Electoral Commission maintains the highest standards of transparency and accountability, urging them to “shine your eyes”.
Furthermore, Franklin Cudjoe condemned the Commission for its outdated method of using Corel Draw for data analysis and visualization, a software ill-suited for data analysis, which casts doubt on the Commission’s capability to efficiently and accurately manage electoral data.
As such, Franklin Cudjoe took a swipe at Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, jestingly suggesting that the Electoral Commission seems to be oblivious to the Vice President’s fervent advocacy for digitalization, implying that the Commission’s outdated methods are at odds with the government’s digital transformation agenda.
“They [EC] use ‘CorelDraw’ for data capture and analysis, they need to see you [Dr. Bawumia]”. – Franklin Cudjoe
Opposition NDC Cries Foul Over EC’s ‘Pro-NPP’ Posture
Meanwhile, the NDC persists in its claim that the Electoral Commission’s (EC) directive is a deliberate attempt to facilitate electoral fraud and unfairly advantage the ruling NPP, further undermining public trust in the electoral process.
The NDC also suggested that the NPP’s nonchalance towards the directive stems from the fact that key EC officials, including Chairperson Jean Mensah, Deputy Chairman Bossman, and Commissioner Peter Appiahene, are allegedly affiliated with the NPP, raising concerns about partisan bias and the integrity of the electoral process.
As such, Ashanti Regional Deputy Communication Officer of the NDC, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, urged all youth to volunteer and visit their local Electoral Commission district offices to observe and monitor the ongoing voter transfer processes, ensuring transparency and accountability in the process.
“Take note that NPP already has these three party Agents monitoring and supervising all the activities of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and as a result are comfortable if the EC says they won’t allow agents to participate in the voter transfer Process”.
Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei
He appealed to party members to rally behind the call made by NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey and the efforts of the Election Directorate, led by Dr. Omane Boamah, to ensure a victorious outcome in the 2024 elections and liberate the country from the Akufo-Addo/Dr. Bawumia government.
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