Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka
THE OPPOSITION National Democratic Congress (NDC) appears not to have recovered from its electoral defeat in the 2020 polls, still crying foul over the processes and procedures adopted by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the conduct of the elections, among others.
After failing to get the police to institute criminal investigations into an alleged “illegal printing of over one million excess presidential ballots,” the NDC has resorted to parliamentary process to achieve its goal, causing five of its Members of Parliament (MPs) to demand an inquiry into the elections.
The NDC lawmakers are Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka of Asawase, Dr. Dominic Ayine of Bolga East, Bernard Ahiafor of Akatsi South, and Zuweira Ibrahimah Mohammed of Salaga South.
They have filed a private members’ motion requesting the House to constitute a bi-partisan parliamentary committee chaired by a Member of the Minority, to “review thoroughly the processes and procedures adopted by the Electoral Commission in the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.”
The NDC MPs also want the ad-hoc parliamentary committee to “enquire into the circumstances that led to the use of a form other than the statutorily provided Statement of Poll Form (Form A and B) in the Schedule to the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (C.I. 127) by the Electoral Commission in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.”
They again want the committee to ascertain the quantity of ballot papers printed and the alleged discovery of excess ballot papers at Innolink Printing Press Limited.
For them, the probe should be extended to cover the allegation that the EC introduced ballot papers that were pre-thumb-printed that were sent to the Ashanti Region, adding that it is also their request for the committee to enquire into the manner in which the collation of the election results was carried out by officers of the EC leading to alleged multiple declaration of results in various constituencies.
The Minority MPs again want the committee to establish the causes of the disturbances and electoral violence during the counting and collation at Ablekuma Central, Banda, Kasoa, Odododiodoo, Sefwi-Wiawso, Techiman South and in any other place the disturbances occurred.
It should “verify the claim by the Electoral Commission that it saved the nation about US$90 million and that the 2020 elections were the least costly of all previous elections held in the country since 1992.”
The NDC lawmakers have asked the committee to investigate the alleged procurement breaches in the “Thales contract for the Biometric Verification Devices; and make consequential recommendations for the consideration of the House within two months.”
The motion is yet to be moved in the House.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House