NPP to EC: Be transparent

• Posted on August 5, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has served notice that it would not sit down for any individual or group of persons to rig the 2016 general election, which they are confident of winning, urging the Electoral Commission (EC) to show transparency in its activities.

This follows attempts by the EC to use an untested electronic system of transmitting results of the upcoming elections from the polling stations to the EC’s headquarters rather than what was agreed on at an earlier Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting.

The Campaign Manager of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu had raised concerns about the new system.

Not long thereafter, the General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, organised a press conference at which he virtually assumed the position of a spokesman for the EC in an attempt to rationalise its (EC’s) decision, claiming that the NPP wanted to sabotage the electoral process.

Expose

But at a press conference in Accra yesterday, Acting General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu exposed the false claims by the NDC. “What the EC plans to do now – that is the electronic transmission of the results from the polling stations – is radically different from what was proposed by the Electoral Reforms Committee and agreed upon with the political parties and other stakeholders and the EC,” he argued.

He insisted that “what the EC is seeking to do now is a radical departure from what was agreed upon based on consensus.”

Mr John Boadu therefore took solace in the EC’s own statement while reacting to the concerns raised by Mr Mac Manu. The commission emphasised, “It is recommended that hand-held scanners should be used to scan constituency collation forms that contain the polling station results and sent electronically and directly to the National Collation Centre. The hard copies would be sent physically to the Head Office of the EC.”

For the NPP, “This means that what we proposed as a departure from the past was for the certified collation sheet, containing all the results from the polling stations, to be scanned and e-transmitted, but to be later on authenticated by a hard copy being sent to the National Collation Centre.”

The NPP said it was therefore alarmed at the new dimension being smuggled in by the EC as captured in its own ‘request for expression of interest’ which was published in the media, part of which reads: “The Electoral Commission of Ghana intends to use ICT to run in parallel with its existing system of transmitting election results.”

“Accordingly, the Commission invites eligible firms to express their interest in the provision of the following services:

• Supply, installation and support appropriate ICT products and logistics for direct capture of polling station election results at about 29,000 polling stations;
• Supply, installation and support appropriate ICT products and logistics for real time direct transmission of presidential and parliamentary polling station election results to Constituency Collation Centres.”

Concerns

That, according to the NPP Acting General Secretary, meant that “The EC on its own, without consulting IPAC, has gone ahead to extend e-transmission to all 29,000 polling stations.”

He therefore noted, “It would have been irresponsible on our part not to raise concern over this departure.”

“If the NDC was part of this decision we were not invited to that discussion.”

Transparent

Mr John Boadu insisted, “We believe what needs to be done is for all interested parties, especially the EC, to stick to collective decisions and implement them in the manner agreed upon. And if it becomes necessary for modifications to be made, the EC must be honest, professional and transparent enough to inform stakeholders. This is what transparency, fairness and inclusivity are all about as far as the electoral process is concerned.”

“This becomes very important to us now, in view of the experiences of 2012, where STL admitted it was contracted to electronically transmit results as backup, but the EC denied ever contracting STL to transmit results of the elections, only for the Minister of the Interior, Prosper Bani to claim over three years later that STL was indeed contracted for that exercise without our knowledge. We cannot afford revisiting mistrust in 2016,” he emphasised.

STL has since denied this allegation.

Determination

He said, “We have always been consistent in our determination in ensuring that the nation always goes through a transparent and fair electoral process that delivers credible elections, which outcomes are acceptable by all interested parties.”

“This is a determination that will never be compromised for consideration, and more so, we seek to ensure that the true will of suffering Ghanaians, who are determined to see a change in government, is not compromised through any dubious means.”

Mr John Boadu served notice, “We will not allow 2016 elections to be rigged!”

He added, “It is important to bring to the fore that as we gradually inch towards the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections, we are being carefully guided by the events of the 2012 elections, as they were showcased to the shock of discerning Ghanaians during the Presidential Election Petition trial at the Supreme Court. We want to reassure the suffering masses that the NPP will do all it can to ensure that the 2016 elections shall not be rigged.”

By Charles Takyi-Boadu