The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded an immediate independent inquiry on the conduct of the just-ended referenda to restore confidence in the country’s electoral process.
According to the Party, they were alarmed at the brazen violation of the electoral laws and the general vandalisation of due process and the principle of fairness that should govern the conduct of any credible election.
“Many Ghanaians have seen a viral video footage showing multiple voting by Electoral Commission (EC) officials themselves and others obviously recruited for the purpose.
“In addition to the video footage and several reports of wrongdoing by the EC during the conduct of the polls, we have noted a report by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in which they highlighted grave violations of our electoral laws, “Mr Peter Boamah Otokunor, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC said.
Mr Otokunor, speaking at a media briefing organised in Accra to highlight on some concerns over the conduct of the referenda on the creation of six new regions, said CODEO report confirmed reports of voter turn-out which could only be described as incredulous.
He said in some instances, turn-out was as high as 99.7 per cent, which was most unlikely in any election in Ghana.
“CODEO also highlighted abnormal use of manual use of manual verification, sometimes as high as 58 per cent of all voters at a polling station,” he said.
“The Ghana Journalists Association has on its part, bitterly complained about the prevention of their members from observing the collation of results in the Oti region referendum.”
He said ‘taken together, those events make the just-ended referenda, the most shambolic elections in Ghana’s recent history.’
Mr Otokunor said in 2016 the NDC pledged in its manifesto to create five additional regions as part of its commitment to ensuring equitable development of all parts in the country.
He said though the NDC was denied the people’s mandate, “we persisted in the commitment by making available a trove of our party’s resources to support the referenda. Be that as it may, we respect the central principle which guided the need for the referenda”.
He therefore, congratulated the people from Oti, North East, Savannah, Ahafo, Bono East and Western North regions on attaining regional status and urged government to prioritise the needs of the newly created regions to give practical meaning to the outcome of the referenda.
The Deputy General Secretary said the NDC believed that the processes leading up to such an exercise must comply with acceptable standards and referenda held for that purpose, must also be in conformity with democratic and legal tenets.
Source: GNA
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Let the people in the newly created regions know that the NDC was and is against them! They would NOT have created the region, in the UNLIKELY even of them winning 2016 elections. It was mouth, mouth! Their attitude shows! NDC is against development!
ALL NEW REGIONS FROM OTI TO WESTERN NORTH MUST VOTE AGAINST NDC. NDC NEVER WANTED ANY OF THE REGIONS TO BE CREATED. THEY RESISTED IT BUT PRETENDED TO LIKE IT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT STOP IT. ALL THE OPPOSITIONS EXPRESSED CAME FROM NDC AND NOW ALL DEROGATORY REMARKD AFTER THE OVERWHELMING APPROVAL IS STILL COMING FROM NDC. IF NDC EVER COME TO POWER THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING THEY COULD TO FRUSTRATE THE NEW REGIONS TO REGRET FOR EVER DEMANDING FOR THEIR SEPARATION. ALL NEW REGIONS MUST VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY FOR NPP WHO SHALL ALWAYS BE INTERESTED TO SUPPORT THEIR DEVELOPMENT TO PROOF THEIR CASE THAT NEW REGIONS IS GOOD FOR DECENTRALIZATION TO SPREAD DEVELOPMENT. A WORD TO THE WISE IS ENOUGH
EC CANNOT RELY ON FAKE VIDEOS TO TAKE ANY ACTION. WHOEVER HAS PROOF OF ANY MALPRACTICES ANYWHERE MUST REPORT TO THE POLICE AND EC OR ANY APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY TO ACT ON THEM. COMPLAINANTS SHOULD IDENTIFY PARTICULAR PLACES WHERE THOSE VIDEOS EMANATED FROM AND SUBSTANTIATE IT. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO LIVE IN OKUDZETO ABLAKWAH WORLD WHERE ALLEGATIONS ARE MADE BUT CANNOT BE SUBSTANTIATED YET WE WANT PRESIDENT TO INVESTIGATE. ANYBODY CAN CAN MAKE A FAKE VIDEO LIKE THE ONE IN CIRCULATION TO MAKE IT APPEAR TO BE REAL.
@ Balogun, we are not interested in your postings.
I REMEMBER SOMETIME BACK THAT THERE USED TO BE SOME PUBLICATION IN ONE OF THE NEWS PAPERS THAT "ODIKRO WANTS TO KNOW IF ............" I DON'T KNOW IF THE WRITER IS GONE TO SLEEP AND DOES NOT ASK THOSE QUESTIONS ANYMORE. IN THE LIGHT OF HIS ABSENCE I WILL LIKE TO STEAL SAME QUESTION FROM ODIKRO. ODIKRO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARRIED OUT MULTIPLE PROXY VOTING DURING THE RECENT REGIONAL REFERENDUM WITHOUT THE EC FOLLOWING THE RULES OF PROXY VOTING? THERE ARE RUMOURS THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLES OF PROXY VOTING CARRIED OUT IN AREAS SUCH AS THE SAVANA REGION REFERENDUM AND OTI REGION REFERENDUM. CAN THE EC CONFIRM OR STATE OTHERWISE? A FRIEND OF MINE ONCE SAID "SILENCE MEANS CONSENT" IS IT TRUE?
This Otukunor guy uses words any how
So still there is no mature and elder member of NDC, the party I cherish to give advice to those young guys who have hijacked the party. The just ended referendum ended peacefully and the turnout was massive. There was one incident that was captured on a video.Any serious party by now would have brought the name of the polling station,the said officer what was actually he was thump printing.Whether they were ballot papers or some EC documents that he has to certify.These have not been prove beyond reasonable doubt and you have started sending wrong signal to the EC boss.She is human being like anybody if you continue to insult and malign her,she may do something that will not be in our favour. It is like a referee who does not like your team,he will award you a foul in the 18 instead of advantage to deny you a goal to your opponent.A word to the wise is enough. Come out with the name of the polling station,identify the EC official,and prove what was finger printing to make a genuine and concrete case and stop this childish warnings which do not augur well for the party. Last, election the likes of Ofosu Kwakye,Omane ,Boamah,Agyenim Boateng,Stan Dogbe,Fiifi Kwettey,Otukonor,Fred Agbenyo and so on were fronting for the party, it ended in a disaster.No lesson has been learned from that. So still there is no mature and elder member of NDC, the party I cherish to give advice to those young guys who have hijacked the party. The just ended referendum ended peacefully and the turnout was massive. There was one incident that was captured on a video.Any serious party by now would have brought the name of the polling station,the said officer what was actually he was thump printing.Whether they were ballot papers or some EC documents that he has to certify.These have not been prove beyond reasonable doubt and you have started sending wrong signal to the EC boss.She is human being like anybody if you continue to insult and malign her,she may do something that will not be in our favour. It is like a referee who does not like your team,he will award you a foul in the 18 instead of advantage to deny you a goal to your opponent.A word to the wise is enough. Come out with the name of the polling station,identify the EC official,and prove what was finger printing to make a genuine and concrete case and stop this childish warnings which do not augur well for the party. Last, election the likes of Ofosu Kwakye,Omane ,Boamah,Agyenim Boateng,Stan Dogbe,Fiifi Kwettey,Otukonor,Fred Agbenyo and so on were fronting for the party, it ended in a disaster.No lesson has been learned from that. Where are the likes of Kwesi Botchway's,Huudu Yahya,Ibn Chambas,Ken Dzirasah,Tawiah Adamafio,Emma Mitchell etc. to flavour the already sour grapes. Ghanaians by nature do not recognize and listen to children even if there are sense in their submissions. The earlier the party take up the challenge to shelves the likes of Sammy Gyamfi, Kwaku Boahen,Asafo Adyaye,Brogya Genfi the better for them.Otherwise the more they speak, the more it provokes the majority of the electorates.Where are the likes of Kwesi Botchway's,Huudu Yahya,Ibn Chambas,Ken Dzirasah,Tawiah Adamafio,Emma Mitchell etc. to flavour the already sour grapes. Ghanaians by nature do not recognize and listen to children even if there are sense in their submissions. The earlier the party take up the challenge to shelves the likes of Sammy Gyamfi, Kwaku Boahen,Asafo Adyaye,Brogya Genfi the better for them.Otherwise the more they speak, the more it provokes the majority of the electorates.