There is an urgent call for attention to reconstitute the Electoral Commission and its team to prevent any potential electoral violence in the upcoming December 7th polls. Common institutional errors in public briefings on elections and data enumeration have led to numerous mistakes. If not rectified promptly, these errors could destabilize the peace and stability we currently enjoy.
Dr. Rashid Tanko-Computer, Deputy Director of Election and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), voiced these concerns on the Adekyee Mu Nsem morning show on Ahotor FM, hosted by citizen Kofi Owusu in Accra. He expressed apprehension that the staff at the EC headquarters may lack the necessary credibility and expertise in election management, potentially compromising the integrity of the electoral process to curry favor with the government in power.
Dr. Tanko-Computer stressed the importance of a bipartisan meeting to devise a roadmap for addressing these lapses, particularly concerning the inaccuracies in the figures currently being disseminated. He highlighted the recent suspension of some IT department officers at the EC as evidence of the seriousness of the situation, emphasizing that these issues could escalate if left unchecked, especially in a closely contested election.
In response to these concerns, Samuel Tetteh, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations at the Electoral Commission (EC), announced the restructuring of the team responsible for preparing infographics. He assured the public that more stringent methods have been implemented to ensure the accuracy of information provided to the public.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Mr. Tetteh stated, “The commission has since made changes to the team responsible for preparing infographics. Additionally, we have instituted more rigorous methods to ensure that the information disseminated to the public is accurate.” He also extended apologies to political parties, stakeholders, and the general public for any errors in the infographics published during the initial days of the registration exercise.
The story was reported by AYM Kukah.
