The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed strong disapproval of the Electoral Commission’s (EC) recent ruling to bar political party agents from the vote transfer process, denouncing the action as illegal.
Previously, the NDC had directed its agents to ignore the EC’s order, which came about following altercations at several transfer locations.
On the Citi Breakfast Show on June 3, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who is the head of Elections and IT for the NDC, voiced his objection to the EC’s independent action. He contended that such decisions should be reached through a collaborative dialogue with the political parties involved.
“There is an IPAC meeting today this morning and what was the brain wave that made the EC issue that statement without coming back to IPAC for us to discuss that we need to modify it and we either agree or disagree or have a middle ground and modify but you take a unilateral decision to go ahead and announce that political parties cannot have agents to monitor the transfer of vote? They should quote the law that supports that.”
He also called on relevant authorities to enforce security measures ahead of other electoral processes to prevent violence, such as the Kasoa incident that left four injured over the weekend.
“The year 2020 presidential election, eight people were killed. One was killed, but nothing happened. Two were killed, but nothing happened. Three killed, but nothing happened, Four killed, nothing happened, Five killed, nothing happened, Six killed, nothing happened, seven killed, nothing happened. Eight killed. We are here in 2024 and these avoidable occurrences are still being recorded. We must do better and we can do better.”
NDC’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, has vehemently criticised the EC’s memo, labeling it as abhorrent and a deliberate move to manipulate electoral boundaries through unauthorized voter transfers.
In a statement dated June 3, Kwetey also alleged that the EC is conspiring with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), thereby undermining the integrity of the electoral process, and urged that such directives should be overlooked.