Northern NDC slams EC for protecting officers involved in illegal voter transfer

Tamale, Ghana - September 13, 2024 - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northern Region has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of covering up alleged misconduct by its officers in the illegal transfer of voters from Tamale to Pusiga in the Upper East Region.

The party alleges that the EC is not fully cooperating with the police investigation and is failing to hold accountable those involved in the irregularities.

NDC Regional Secretary, Mohammed Abdul Salam, expressed concerns about the EC's impartiality and the potential impact on the electoral process, citing the need for transparency and accountability.

Abdul Salam, stated on JoyNews that the voter exhibition exercise aims to rectify authentic mistakes in the voter register, however, he thinks the Electoral Commission's actions have undermined the integrity of this process.

“The EC should have quickly identified those responsible for the transfer, but instead, they’ve been hiding who was involved," he said.

According to Mohammed Abdul Salam, while the police probe continues and attempts are being made to force the EC to reveal those responsible, some voters have been reinstated to their original polling stations.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that not all problems have been addressed.

Additionally, Salam criticized the EC for sticking to a contested figure of 38, suggesting that the true number of problematic cases is actually higher.

“The EC’s reversal of only those cases we reported suggests a lack of thorough internal checks,” he added.

“This is problematic because the actual number of affected cases is higher, but the EC has only reversed the issues we reported. This suggests a lack of thorough internal review," he stated.

The issue has raised tensions ahead of the elections, with the NDC demanding prompt action to address the irregularities and ensure the integrity of the voter register.

“If the EC has nothing to hide, a forensic audit would boost public trust. Their refusal to acknowledge mistakes and their insistence that nothing is wrong only raises further doubts.”

He added that the situation is under scrutiny. “We are not just making noise; we have substantial evidence. It’s concerning that the EC provides voter registers to political parties only 24 hours before the exhibition, which suggests they might be trying to conceal deeper issues," he added.

Source : Lead News Online