The Director of Elections and IT of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of scheming to illegally send voters to particular constituencies in the ongoing voter transfer exercise.

Speaking to journalists in Accra on Monday, June 3, 2024, Dr. Omane Boamah said that he has intercepted a list which has the number of voters the NPP wants transferred to particular constituencies.

He said that the source of the list was the same person who informed him that some equipment of the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) had been stolen.

He added that not long before the list was shared with him, the EC ordered its officials at its district offices not to allow party agents to observe the voter transfer exercise.

"We will not withdraw our agents from the transfer centres. Look, we have authority, specific constituencies and a specific number of votes that the NPP wants to transfer to those constituencies. We got that document less than 15 minutes after the EC statement about political parties withdrawing their agents also started circulating.

"You may want to ask, where did I get my information about the stolen biometric equipment at the headquarters of the EC from? I will not disclose the source, but I'm the very person who got the information about the stolen biometric equipment at the headquarters of the EC under CCTV surveillance which they have admitted to," he said.

The NDC elections director added, "I trust the source because the source proved to be credible when the source provided the information about the stolen biometric equipment."

He further stated every stakeholder in the election should be committed to ensuring that all processes leading to the December 7, 2024, polls are transparent for a free and fair election.

"The point we are making is that gerrymandering is something that unscrupulous political parties pursue during the transfer of votes. We do not want any political party to engage in gerrymandering," he noted.

He asked why the EC wants agents of the political parties to withdraw from the voter transfer centres.

"The question I ask is, why is the NPP every step of the way against transparency and in favour of opacity? What is it that they are up to? What is it that they are hiding? And what is it that the EC, by this decision, either deliberately or inadvertently, is aiding the NPP to achieve?"

Background:

The EC ordered its regional directors to prevent political parties from observing the ongoing voter transfer exercise.

The order comes after reports of violence at a number of centres where voter transfer exercises are taking place, including the Kasoa EC office.

There, for instance, a son of the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was reportedly stabbed during an altercation with some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday, June 2, 2024, over the transfer of voters to the Awutu Senya East Constituency.

In a letter to its regional directors, which was shared by Oyerepa TV, the EC ordered its district officers not to allow agents of the various political parties to observe the voter transfer exercise.

"The Commission's attention has been drawn to the violent clashes occurring at some of the District Offices as a result of the transfer of votes exercise.

"Regional Directors are to inform District Officers not to allow agents of political parties to observe the transfer of votes exercise with effect from tomorrow, Monday, June 3, 2024," parts of the letter, dated Sunday, June 2, 2024, read.

The commission indicated there was no need for the transfer exercise to be monitored because political parties would be given the list of persons who have been transferred upon request.

"Pursuant to Regulation 22 (8) of C.I. 127, Returning Officers are required to give copies of the transferred voters' list to political parties and candidates upon request. District Officers should ensure that they strictly adhere to this requirement," the statement added.

BAI/AE

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