Dr Bossman Asare
The Electoral Commission (EC) has defended its decision to collate results from some constituencies in the Eastern Region, citing irregularities and intimidation by National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters.
According to Deputy Chairperson of the EC, Dr. Bossman Asare, the move was necessary to correct irregularities that violated the procedures outlined in Constitutional Instrument (C.I) 127.
This development comes on the heels of allegations that NDC supporters had been forcing EC officials to declare their preferred winners in some constituencies.
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, had earlier condemned these actions, accusing the NDC of orchestrating violence and disruption at collation centers, physically assaulting EC officials, and forcibly declaring results in their favour.
Dr. Asare explained that Regulation 43 of C.I. 127 provides clear guidelines for the collation process during parliamentary elections.
However, in some constituencies, these procedures were not followed, necessitating intervention by the Commission.
He cited specific cases of irregularities in Okaikwei Central and Tema, where declarations were made using incomplete results or by individuals not accredited by the Commission.
The EC’s decision to relocate the collation of results for four constituencies in the Eastern Region to the Tesano Police Training School in Accra was made in consultation with the Ghana Police Service to ensure a secure environment for the process.
Dr. Asare stressed that the EC’s focus remains on ensuring the credibility of the electoral process, not on influencing the outcome.
The NPP had earlier accused the NDC of deliberately delaying the collation of results in the Eastern Region and had called on the EC to overturn what they described as “illegal declarations” of parliamentary results under duress.
The EC’s decision to collate the results is seen as an effort to address these concerns and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
BY Daniel Bampoe