General News of Monday, 7 December 2020

Source: classfmonline.com

EC sacks Klottey Korle presiding officer for allowing security operative to vote again

Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission has removed the presiding officer at a polling station in the Klottey Korle constituency for allowing a special voter to vote again.

Mr Nehemiah Amu Antwi was presiding over the electoral processes at the Standards Education Centre polling centre at Asylum Down.

His removal followed the filing of a complaint by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) with the District Election Officer during the Monday, 7 December 2020 polls.

A technical officer of the EC, Mr Bernard Hagan, who is now acting as the Presiding Officer (PO) said his predecessor “allowed a man on the absentee list to vote again”.

“As it stands now, he has been sacked,” Mr Hagan said.

The NDC complained that one security personnel had engaged in multiple voting in the constituency.

“There’s evidence that this guy is a security operative who voted in the special voting”, Mr Ade Coker, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) told Class News’ Pious Kojo Backah on Monday, 7 December 2020 during the ongoing general election.

According to him, the security person, known as Ebo Francis, a former assemblyman, “voted in the special voting and has also come to vote here, which is criminal”.

“So, we came here for us to fill an objection form”, he said.

Mr Coker also expressed dismay that the election management body for, according to him, not have complaints forms at the polling centre.

“Apparently, the EC, too, has no objection form; this is ridiculous; the law says they should have objection forms, they have no objection forms here, so, we have asked our secretary to the constituency to write officially to complain and then send a copy to the district officer and then the EC to take action on this.

“We are coming to make sure that this guy is arrested, prosecuted and the ballot here becomes null and void because it has been compromised”, Mr Coker said, stressing: “The shameful aspect of the whole thing is that the EC hasn’t got complaint forms at the polling station and that is very worrying”.

The alleged security personnel allegedly ran away after he was discovered.