Politics of Friday, 13 September 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

NDC reacts to EC’s response to voter register irregularities, demands return of hard drive

EC chairperson Jean Mensa and NDC elections director Dr. Edward Omane Boamah EC chairperson Jean Mensa and NDC elections director Dr. Edward Omane Boamah

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reacted to the Electoral Commission of Ghana’s response to its demand for a forensic audit into the Provisional Voters Register for the pending December 7, 2024, general elections.

The Electoral Commission (EC), during a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, September 12, 2024, while assuring the NDC that their concerns about the voter register would be resolved, said there was no need for a forensic audit of the register.

A Deputy Director of the EC, Samuel Tetteh, explained that it has the expertise to handle all the issues raised about the register, just as it has done in the past.

He added that the demonstration which has been announced by the NDC and is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17, 2024, was not needed and would only heighten the tension in the country.

Reacting to this, the Director of Elections and IT at the NDC, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, said that his party’s position remains unchanged.

He indicated that the demonstration would come off, accusing the EC of trying to manipulate the data on the voter register.

He said that the commission, at a recent meeting, informed the NDC that the irregularities found in the voter register had been resolved and took the hard drive it (the EC) gave to the party to update the register on it, but to date, the drive has not been returned.

The NDC elections director added that the demands of his party, including a forensic audit of the register and it being exhibited for the second time, remain unchanged.

“After our meeting last week with the EC about the unfit-for-purpose voters register, three (3) INTERCONNECTEDLY DEPENDENT/CONDITIONAL issues stood out:

1. Our non-negotiable demand for an independent forensic audit,

2. Submission of our findings for the forensic audit, and

3. RE-EXHIBITION of the register after the forensic audit.

The 4th issue is the UNDENIABLE fact that we (NDC) left our hard drive with the EC, and requested that they provide us with their so-called updated register,” Dr. Omane Boamah wrote on Facebook on September 13, 2024.

He also indicated that the refusal of the commission for a forensic audit of the register has eroded the trust and cooperation that was seen at the recent meeting.

He added that the EC has also admitted to the errors the NDC has pointed out and its updated register, which was showcased at the meeting, still had the errors.

“Never mind that we started punching holes in their so-called updated register at the meeting when Dr. Yaw Ofori Adjei, one of their IT Consultants, unsuccessfully tried to rely on it to answer a question. The Electoral Commission must understand that on the basis of their refusal to accept our request for a forensic audit and also by refusing to provide us with their so-called updated register, they have eliminated the trust and the spirit of cooperation that characterised last Friday's meeting.

“The immutable truth is that the EC has always admitted to the errors we (NDC) point out! Including their infamous CORELDRAW arithmetic errors admission. Never have they been able to prove our #EAGLEEYES wrong!”

Read his post below:

ELECTORAL COMMISSION (EC): RETURN OUR HARD DRIVE TODAY!

Join the Enough Is Enough Demo coming Tuesday, 17th September!

We maintain that once the incompetent and corrupt ruling NPP sees everything right with the incompetent and criminally crooked EC, there must be something fishy...

We also insist that the Electoral Commission headquarters remains a crime scene waiting to be exorcised only after the December 7, 2024, elections.
Fellow Ghanaians, no matter how the EC and their IT team try to manipulate the data, NDC's checks and balances shall secure our collective victory in the December polls... We are ahead of the EC.

Why is the EC not returning our hard drive which has been in their custody for the past week after our encounter with them last Friday? An encounter which they blocked the media from covering.

EC, return our hard drive now!

Ask the Error-toral Commission (EC) why they're still keeping our hard drive at their corporate office after seven (7) eventful days!

THE IMMUTABLE FACTS

After our meeting last week with the EC about the unfit-for-purpose voters register, three (3) INTERCONNECTEDLY DEPENDENT/CONDITIONAL issues stood out:

1. Our non-negotiable demand for an independent forensic audit,

2. Submission of our findings for the forensic audit, and

3. RE-EXHIBITION of the register after the forensic audit.

The 4th issue is the UNDENIABLE fact that we (NDC) left our hard drive with the EC, and requested that they provide us with their so-called updated register.
Never mind that we started punching holes in their so-called updated register at the meeting when Dr. Yaw Ofori Adjei, one of their IT Consultants, unsuccessfully tried to rely on it to answer a question.

The Electoral Commission must understand that on the basis of their refusal to accept our request for a forensic audit and also by refusing to provide us with their so-called updated register, they have eliminated trust and the spirit of cooperation that characterised last Friday's meeting.

The immutable truth is that the EC has always admitted to the errors we (NDC) point out! Including their infamous CORELDRAW arithmetic errors admission. Never have they been able to prove our #EAGLEEYES wrong!

Let's face it, even before we would share the fullest extent of the errors we have identified with them, they've started rationalising their criminal manipulation of the register.

It's a shame that the EC will adopt the ignominious strategy of the outgoing NPP government by justifying their present avoidable and deliberate errors with previous mistakes.

And it's also depressing to see a decaying state institution like the EC glorify their massive errors, some of which are deliberate.

Errors which would have gone unnoticed but for NDC's #EAGLEEYES.

We demand an independent forensic audit now!

Join the Enough Is Enough Demo coming Tuesday, 17th September!

OUR FINDINGS FROM THE REGISTER SO FAR INCLUDE:

1. 243,540 Previous Transfers illegally added to 2024 Transfers, including repetition of illegally transferred names.

2. 15,000+ Unidentifiable voter transfer paths (due to fake registration of voters???). Where were they originally registered?

3. 3,957 voters in the 2023 register but deleted from the 2024 Provisional Register due to transfer.

4. 2,094 voters transferred to different polling stations but not found in the Absent Voter List as required by law.

5. Corrupt files not showing names and photos of the registered voters (what if this happens on election day?).

6. More anon...



BAI/ ADG

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