A member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwabena Sarpong has indicated that the response given by the Electoral Commission Boss, Madam Charlotte Osei indicates that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) bribed the Electoral Commission ahead of the 2016 elections.
According to him, Madam Charlotte Osei’s allegation that the Deputy Chairperson Operations, Amadu Sulley collected funds above Ghc 6million in cash from some political parties for the organization of party primaries is a confirmation of an accusation made by the NDC's former accountant.
In view of Mr. Mokono’s dismissal, Mr. Kwabena Sarpong on Oman FM’s 'National Agenda' Morning Show revealed that this angered the former accountant to reveal NDC's secret dealings with the EC which included giving Ghc8 million to EC prior to their presidential primaries, but the NDC came out to deny it.
“This accusation came about when there was an open nomination to challenge President Mahama in the presidential slot and the NDC sacked their accountant for selling out presidential forms to one George Boateng at the NDC Head office,” he recalled.
The NDC in September 2015 sanctioned Mr. Mathias Mokono Wilson for selling presidential nomination forms to one, George Boateng who was seeking to challenge President Mahama for the flagbearersip slot.
George Boateng after picking up the forms was told by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia that it was fake since it does not have his (Asiedu Nketia) seal.
“We indicated that the forms must be picked from the General Secretary of the party . . . Since our staff has been mentioned in this whole saga, we have taken firm administrative measures against them. So those members of our staff who were pretending to be General Secretaries have been sanctioned and you will not see them in this office working again,” Asiedu Nketia said at the time.
But Mr. Sarpong insisted that Charlotte Osei has come out to confirm the accusation made by the NDC former accountant in her open defense of the various accusation made against her by some EC staff.
“NDC was accused of bribing EC and they denied it but the EC Commissioner has come out to say that it is true that they took money and Amadu Sulley put the money in his private account and shared the money among the members to carry out the duty for that money.
“ . . the Deputy Chairperson Operations collected funds above GHc6m (Six million Ghana Cedis) in cash from some political parties for the organization of party primaries without recourse to the structures of the Commission and without the involvement of the finance department of the Commission. Political party primaries were treated as a private commercial project by the Deputy Chairperson Ops, with funds paid directly into the personal accounts of key staff for functions to be performed for party primaries," EC boss alleged.
The NPP activist however quizzed “did she say Deputy Commissioner Amadu Sulley has collected Ghc6 million from some political parties? NDC was accused of giving EC Ghc6 million prior to the 2016 presidential primaries and they denied it”.
He again inquired from the NDC pointing accusing fingers at the ruling party whether the NPP urged Charlotte Osei to come out to make the pronouncement which has exposed the NDC for engaging in criminality with the EC.
“Did NPP accountant or General Secretary tell Charlotte Osei that the NPP doesn’t like you so come and reveal the secret of the NDC in public? A certain Member of Parliament has gone ahead on radio station to say that the NPP is in connivance with the Commissioners of EC to come out with these revelations from the Electoral Commission, how can an MP make such a statement on radio?" he inquired.
“The same Charlotte Osei in her reply stated that one of the Commissioners opened illegal polling station to transfer votes and this is not an impeachable offense but criminal which the person should be prosecuted. Is the NDC again blaming this one on the NPP? This didn’t come from the NPP but from someone the NDC has supported from the beginning. Since 1992, the NDC has supported the EC anytime the NPP criticize their work,” he slammed.
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