Minority MPs on their way to the EC headquarters yesterday
National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs and police officers locked horns in a dramatic faceoff yesterday when the former were stopped from setting foot on the premises of the Electoral Commission (EC) headquarters to present a petition to the elections management body.
Leading the police officers was the senior officer in charge of the Greater Accra Police Operations ACP/Mr. Kwesi Ofori.
The MPs had walked from the State House to the headquarters of the EC only to have their wish dashed.
It did not appear that the MPs had informed the police about their plan as required.
The opposition MPs mission was to protest the results of the Techiman South as declared by the EC.
They were led by their leader, Haruna Iddrisu, in the march to the entrance of the EC headquarters during which the standoff ensued. The law enforcement agents had barricaded the place and prevented them from entering, a dramatic event which left the MPs disappointed.
The protesters had overrun barricades at the Liberation Circle as they proceeded to the commission to present their petition to the chairperson.
The standoff was characterized by threats from the MPs to the police officers.
Mr. Iddrisu explained that the petition was “to cause to be properly collated the 2020 Techiman South Constituency election results without prejudice to further intended actions on the presidential and other disputed constituency results.
“That the NDC caucus of the current Parliament is fully aligned with the contention of our flag bearer, John Dramani Mahama and the National Executive Committee of the NDC that the results of the presidential elections stands rejected and therefore we await further instruction from the party’s leadership in that regard.”
According to him, they have received and studied a petition from their parliamentary candidate and “winner of the Techiman South parliamentary election, Christopher Beyere Baasongti, on the happenings in Techiman South.”
The Minority Leader alleged that the Returning Officer for Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region could not collate the results for both the presidential and the parliamentary candidates after results of the polling stations had been counted and “all ballot boxes sent to the collation centre in accordance with C.I. 127.”
The petition also said that the “Returning Officer delayed the collation exercise with the explanation that there were problems with the results of two polling stations out of the 266 polling stations in the constituency.
“That long after mid-night, the agents for the NPP candidate also raised issues with three other polling station results before collation could commence.”
The NDC MPs indicated that the Returning Officer later announced a change of collation centre from the community centre to the Ahenfie Hall in Techiman.
“That at the said collation centre, the parliamentary candidates, their representatives and agents agreed with the Returning Officer to resolve the outstanding issues relating to the five polling stations that were raised by the Returning Officer and the agents of the NPP candidate.
“That during the discussion, there emerged serious differences between the agents as to how to resolve the outstanding issues,” they alleged.
For them, no collation could have taken place and no collation took place in accordance with the provisions of C.I. 127, and “that your announcement of the presidential results of the elections on December 9, 2020, as the Returning Officer, admitted this truism with the exclusion of the presidential results of the Techiman South Constituency from the total tally.
“By this petition, we demand that you cause to be collated the Techiman South Constituency parliamentary and presidential elections results from all the 266 polling stations in accordance with the law, with immediate effect.
“That pursuant to regulation 43 (2) of C.I. 127, the endorsed writ, gazette notification and notice to Clerk of Parliament be amended accordingly to reflect the true state of affairs.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House