Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticized the Electoral Commission’s (EC) handling of discrepancies in the provisional voters’ register, arguing that the commission cannot effectively resolve errors it is responsible for creating.
His remarks came after the EC rejected the NDC’s call for an independent forensic audit of the voter roll ahead of the 2024 elections.
“The very doctor who created the problem should not be the one to resolve the problem,” Dr. Boamah stated, emphasizing that an independent audit is crucial to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
The NDC has consistently raised concerns about what they see as irregularities, including unauthorized voter transfers and potential system vulnerabilities.
According to Dr. Boamah, the EC cannot be the sole entity responsible for rectifying these issues, as doing so would undermine public trust. He drew an analogy to the healthcare system, where a medical professional who misdiagnoses a patient is often not the one tasked with providing corrective treatment. In this case, Dr. Boamah believes external auditors are needed to independently verify the register’s accuracy.
“The EC must agree if it has nothing to hide. It has happened before, and it can happen again,” Dr. Boamah added, referring to past instances where independent audits were conducted to ensure electoral transparency.
Despite the EC’s rejection of the NDC’s requests, Dr. Boamah insists that a thorough, unbiased review of the voters’ register is the only way to restore confidence in the upcoming elections.
He has called for international experts to be brought in to oversee the process, reiterating that development partners like the UNDP are willing to support the audit if the EC agrees.
