The Electoral Commission and its team have exhibited a concerning level of incompetence and uncertainty during the commencement of the 2024 election process as an independent body. This has resulted in a significant loss of trust and confidence from the public and key stakeholders.
Augustus Eshun, the Director of Communications and External Relations for the Africa Electoral Institute, expressed these concerns during an interview on the Adekyee Mu Nsem morning show on Ahotor 92.3 FM, hosted by Citizen Kofi Owusu in Accra. He emphasized that the ongoing voter transfer process is marred by suspicion, largely due to the faults of the EC, and questioned the tendency to blame political parties for issues arising from it.
Eshun highlighted that while political parties have the right to observe and monitor the process to safeguard the integrity of the December polls, the EC’s track record of shortcomings during the limited voter registration undermines its credibility with stakeholders.
In a related development, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced its decision not to deploy agents to monitor the ongoing vote transfer exercise. This decision came after the Electoral Commission’s directive to its district officers to deny party agents access to centers for the exercise, following incidents of violence at some locations.
However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) remains firm in its intention to deploy agents to monitor the process. Director of Elections, Evans Nimako, expressed concerns that the NDC’s insistence could disrupt the EC’s plans, emphasizing that parties should comply with the directives while ensuring adherence to legal provisions.
Nimako dismissed claims of collusion between the NPP and the EC to rig the election, asserting that such beliefs wouldn’t prevent the NDC from winning the elections. He emphasized the importance of adhering to legal processes and urged all parties to cooperate within the framework set by the Electoral Commission
