The Electoral Commission (EC) has condemned the actions of the electoral officer who oversaw the signing of the pink sheet document, before the ending of the ongoing Kumawu by-elections.
Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe, Director in charge of Electoral Services claimed he is ashamed of the actions of the officer. He said same of the agents of both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), as they also have their signatures on the signed pink sheet.
“I think that our officer didn’t do well because he should have paid attention for them to complete the portion she was talking of, before he moved on to another issue. The other issue is that the agents too also didn’t do well because signing the results means that you have accepted the results, when the ballot papers have not been counted.
“So, our officer didn’t do well, and the agents of both NPP and NDC also didn’t do well. It should be on record that it wasn’t one particular party agent that signed, both of them signed. We have replaced that sheet with another sheet.”
Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe
Dr Serebuor Quaicoe added that: “the officer was saying that when he completed his portion, he asked [the agents] to put their names there and the people went beyond and signed. So, he didn’t ask them to sign. If that is the case, then we can only fault him for not supervising them.”
He however declined all claims that stated the agents were forced to append their signatures.
“The initial claim is that he forced them. An adult, can someone force you to do things that you have been cautioned not to do? So, I am tempted to believe that the people mistakenly signed.”
Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe
However, a former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said that the already signed pink sheet in the ongoing by-election in Kumawu is a broad-day electoral thievery.
In a tweet, he said “How is it possible for EC officials to supervise the signing of results sheets even before the first ballot has been cast? What kind of broad-day electoral theft is this?”
NDC Warns Polling Agents To Watch Out For Already Signed Pink Sheets
Fifi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) informed the NDC polling agents to be vigilant in the ongoing by-election in Kumawu.
This is after the Electoral Officer at the Oyoko Methodist Primary School polling station No F360203 in the Sekyere Kumawu Constituency is said to have allegedly forced polling agents to sign the pink sheets, before the close of polls. However, the circumstances behind the actions of the Electoral officer are not yet known
“What we have to do is simply to put our clear instruction that we do not want any such thing happening anymore. We have told our agents to be vigilant and told the presiding officer that if any such thing happens again, we have to take a serious issue with the Electoral Commission.
“It is a little unfortunate that it happened just before I arrived, I wish I had seen the women so that we can get how to resolve.”
Fifi Kwetey
READ ALSO: Kumawu By-Elections: NDC Candidate Accuses The NPP Of Bringing In ‘Mad’ Voters
