The EC and NDC officials after the meeting
The Electoral Commission (EC) says it is withdrawing from the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary primaries of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) slated for Saturday, May 13, 2023.
This follows a court action seeking interlocutory injunction filed at an Accra High Court, by Dr Kwabena Duffuor, a flagbearer aspirant of the NDC on Tuesday against Saturday’s primaries amid claims of discrepancies in the party’s voters register to be used for the exercise.
Due to that, the EC says the decision has become necessary until all legal issues surrounding the election are resolved hence cannot, go ahead to supervise the primaries which would amount to contempt of court.
The EC announced this on May 10, 2023, after meeting with representatives of each of the NDC’s three prospective flagbearership as well as some leaders of the party.
“However, yesterday we were served with an Application for Interlocutory Injunction seeking to restrain the Commission from supervising the conduct of the Presidential and Parliamentary Primaries due to the alleged anomalies with the register.”
“Gentlemen, so that we are not cited for contempt, the Commission has taken the decision not to supervise the conduct of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections until after the determination of the case by the court,” the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa said.
In the injunction suit filed at an Accra High Court, Dr Duffuor also indicated that the party failed to provide the required photo album register five weeks before the elections by the party’s rules.
Dr Kwabena Duffuor, an aspirant of the presidential primaries in the writ, accused the party of failing to provide the required photo album register five weeks before the elections by the party’s rules.
He further claimed in his affidavit in support of the motion that a partial photo album register was given to his team on May 4, a few days before the elections rather than in March when they had submitted a request for one.
“The Plaintiff adds that to their utmost surprise, upon verification, it was found that the number of constituencies on the hard drive given to his representatives was 220 in number as opposed to the alleged number of 228 constituencies indicated by Defendant,” portions of the 36-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion read.
“The Plaintiff adds further that an initial verification of the said 220 constituencies on the hard drive given to his representatives by the 2nd Defendant established basic errors and inaccuracies that render the Photo Album Register inaccurate and unreliable for a free, fair and credible election.
Dr Duffuor added that despite his request for a postponement of the elections until a full photo album register is secured, the party refused to heed to his request.
For this reason, the plaintiff is urging the court to grant an interlocutory injunction to restrain the party and sued persons – General Secretary, Election Director, co-contestants John Mahama and Kojo Bonsu, and the Electoral Commission – from holding the elections.
Meanwhile, a group calling itself the United Cadres Front has reacted to the court process initiated by Dr Duffuor’s Campaign Team.
According to the group, the court action is another elaborate plan by the Presidential hopeful to scuttle and destroy the very foundations which “we all sweated to build.”
The group however urged the delegates to vote against him.
But the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande says the party will not postpone its primaries on Saturday despite calls from Dr Duffuor, one of the flagbearer aspirants.
According to Gbande, the credibility of the May 13th primaries is not questionable as the campaign team of the former Finance Minister seeks to suggest.
Kwabena Duffuor’s team wrote to the General Secretary of the NDC raising concerns over the alleged incomplete and inaccurate delegates register expected to be used for the primaries.
But in an interview on Citi FM, Mr Gbande said the “claims in the letter are untrue” and that reports that the “party hasn’t provided him a response is incorrect and untrue.”
He said “Leadership is committed to resolving every issue raised so that we can have a credible election. The credibility of these elections is unquestionable, and the processes are clean enough and the processes are very transparent enough and we are committed to conducting a credible election that is not questionable.”
Mr Gbande further said the party is following every single provision contained in its constitution to ensure free and fair presidential and parliamentary primaries.
“We have guidelines to adhere to, and we are operating on those guidelines. The process is credible and assuring enough and all the aspirants are aware of this.”
BY Daniel Bampoe