By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned Ghana’s electoral management body, the Electoral Commission (EC), against any attempt on its part to manipulate the 2024 election results to favour the ruling New Patriotic Party’s candidate.
The NDC has thus vowed to scrutinise and reveal any clandestine endeavours by the EC to subvert the integrity of the electoral process.
On May 12, 2024, the Electoral Commission issued a press statement acknowledging erroneous figures previously released and attempted corrections.
However, they claimed the total number of registered voters over the four days remained unchanged.
The NDC’s warning is in response to the EC’s acknowledgement of errors made in the initial release of figures during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration Exercise.
The EC subsequently corrected these errors and provided accurate figures for the different regions.
But addressing journalists on Thursday, May 16, 2024, the General Secretary of the opposition NDC, Mr. Fifi Fiave Kwetey, contends that the mistakes were “utterly avoidable”.
This situation exemplifies what we term “transpositional rigging,” where figures are shuffled between categories without affecting the overall total.
According to the NDC, the assertion by the EC that these errors in regional figures did not impact the total count is patently misleading.
“Simple arithmetic, accurately summing the regional figures from the 16 regions, would have clearly demonstrated to the EC that their numbers were erroneous.
Such mistakes are utterly avoidable. Why must Ghana’s Electoral Commission be reduced to an Error Commission?” he asked.
“The EC must distance itself from any intentions of rigging and be warned: any attempt to undermine the electoral process will be rigorously challenged and exposed,” the NDC’s chief scribe warned.
Mr. Kwetey maintained that the EC’s shuffling of categories is “transpositional rigging”.
He further issued a firm notice to the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission that the 2024 elections will not be business as usual.
“Ladies and gentlemen, with this press conference, we are issuing a firm notice to the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission: the 2024 elections will not be business as usual! We are also here to declare unequivocally that any attempt by the EC to violate CI 127, which governs the conduct of the general elections, will be met with resolute resistance from us.
We will not stand idly by while the EC undermines the time-tested electoral processes that are well recognised and respected by all stakeholders,” he pointed out.
The NDC’s chief scribe charged the EC to approach the handling of electoral figures with the utmost seriousness.
“It is imperative that the EC approaches the handling of electoral figures with the utmost seriousness, as these numbers are fundamental to the integrity of the elections. No voter should be disenfranchised due to careless errors,” Fifi Kwetey stated.
