Mike Oquaye Jnr
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Dome-Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region has denied that he lost the election, pointing out that a mob action did not allow for a proper management of the electoral process.
“Mobocracy cannot replace democracy in Ghana! We say that we have won the parliamentary election as NPP in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency. We shall pursue the matter at all levels including the High Court of Ghana for justice to be done,” he said.
“Agents of the NPP started arriving at the collation centre at about 12:00 midnight December 8, 2024. The mere size of the constituency meant that not all our pink sheets were part of the first batch to be collated. When the second batch of our pink sheets arrived at about 2am, we decided to take it straight to the collation centre and scan them there to prevent further delays.
“However, before we started to scan the sheets an NDC mob which was gathered outside, entered the collation centre itself, snatched our pink sheets and bolted. The police followed up and retrieved some of the pink sheets, after about an hour,” he said.
Continuing, he said “the EC District Director proceeded to collate the presidential results in conjunction with party agents from NPP and NDC among others. At about 9am on Sunday, December 8, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia – the flagbearer of the NPP conceded the presidential elections, so together with EC and NDC agents we agreed to move to collate the parliamentary results and finish with the presidential later. Then the mob of NDC supporters started chanting that John Mahama has won and so we should stop collating the parliamentary because NDC had won. Nevertheless, the EC proceeded with the collation.
“At about 12 noon Sunday, December 8, 2024, some of the EC’s pink sheets and materials needed for verification of results were in sealed ballot boxes in EC’s District Office. All agents agreed that EC with representatives from NPP and NDC, escorted by the police, should retrieve same. Upon the arrival of the branded EC vehicle, they were set upon by the NDC mob, with the car glass broken, and vandalised, agents pepper sprayed, driver beaten with an open head wound, EC materials seized and burnt,” he said.
“How can the EC verify or dispute matters of collation with just the NDC present? That is totally illegal. Will the NDC accept it if I go into a room alone with the EC without their presence and declare that as the result? What was done was null and void. I was not there, my agents were not there, the district director was not there, neither was the Deputy Director even aware of what was happening,” Mike Oquaye Jnr said.
By A.R. Gomda