Live by your transparency and fairness tenets  …NDC urges EC as it leads mammoth protest to demand audit of voters register

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has entreated the Electoral Commission (EC) to live by its tenets of transparency and integrity to ensure that the December polls are free, trans­parent and credible.

The party in a petition to the EC in Accra yesterday after a mammoth demonstration said the commission must conduct itself in line with the principles upon which it is established to safeguard the country’s democracy.

Demonstrators in Bolgatanga against the EC on the hullabaloo of the voter’s registe

“The right thing must be done in the spirit of your logo; transparency, fairness and integrity”, the National Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said as he presented the 10-point petition to the Commission.

NDC supporters in Ho on demonstration

The party called for the nationwide demonstration to press home their demand for the forensic audit of the provisional voters register which it claimed is replete with widespread irregularities.

JULIUS YAO PETETSI reports that in their party paraphernalia and the Ghana flag, the thousands of demonstrators converged on the Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle with placards including ‘audit the register now’, ‘do not steal our votes for NPP’, ‘EC do the right thing’, ‘don’t set our country on fire’, ‘drop the rigging plot’.

The peaceful protest march which took off at about 10am lasted for about three hours through some prin­cipal streets in Accra before making a first stop at the entrance of Parlia­ment where a copy of the petition was presented to leaders of the House for the Speaker.

Tamale NDC supporters during the demonstration.Photo. Geoffrey Buta The NDC demonstrators in Accra. Photo.. Ebo Gorman

After that presentation, the crowd, led by top echelons of the NDC moved to the Office of the Com­mission amidst tight security where the Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, received the petition on behalf of the Commission.

Reading out the petition, Mr Nketiah called for an independent forensic audit of the electoral register and the Commission’s IT system due to serious irregularities and unauthorised transfers.

Upper West NDC supporters on the streets

He criticised the Commission for compromising their IT system and demanded an urgent meeting with po­litical parties, civil society, and interna­tional partners to oversee the audit.

He also requested that the audit findings be published for transparency and accountability.

Western Region NDC supporters in action

Receiving the petition, Mr Tettey said the Commission would give the petition the needed attention and re­vert to the NDC for the way forward.

For the Majority and Minority Leaders of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, they would consider trigger­ing constitutional provisions to recall Parliament for an extraordinary sitting to use legislative authority to address the concerns of the NDC.

KINGSLEY HOPE reports from Kumasi that the protest turned violent when tensions between demonstrators and police escalated over entry into the EC office.

One person was reported injured af­ter the crowd overpowered the police. The Ghana Police Service has denied any injuries to demonstrators.

AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN reports from Koforid­ua, Eastern Region that the protest began at Prisoner’s Park and ended at the EC’s office, where George Opare Addo, the NDC National Youth Organiser, submitted a petition urging the Commission to ensure a credible election process.

In Wa, Upper West Region, RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK reports that the pro­testers were led by Dr Hassan Rashid Pelpuo, NDC Parliamentary Candi­date for Wa Central, who at the end presented a petition to the EC office, calling for fair and credible elections.

SAMUEL AGBEWODE reports that in Ho, about 8,000 NDC members and sympathizers from 18 constituen­cies in the Volta Region hit the street.

The NDC Volta Regional Chairman, Mr Mawutor Agbavitor, presented the petition. A similar demonstration was held in Nkwanta, Oti Region, with about 1,000 participants.

From Bolgatanga, Upper East Re­gion, FRANCIS DABRE DABANG reports that thousands of demonstra­tors marched through principal streets, ending at the regional EC office. Roland Ayoo, former NDC Secretary for Bolgatanga Central, warned that further resistance from the EC could lead to disturbances.

DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH reports from Cape Coast, Central Region, where the NDC MP, Kweku Ricketts Hagan presented the petition to the EC officer, Manu Sekyi, who assured that the concerns would be forwarded to the Commission’s head­quarters.

In the Western Region, CLEM­ENT ADZEI BOYE reports that the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, led the protest while the NDC Regional Secretary, Joseph Nelson, presented a petition to the Deputy Regional Director of EC, Mr Joshua Ofori Prempeh.

DANIEL DZIRASAH reports from Sunyani, Bono Region that the party’s Director of IT, John Ayamba, complained about the discrepancies in the Bono Regional voter register. Dem­onstrators marched through Sunyani’s principal streets, ending at the Jubilee Park to present their petition to the EC.

YAHAYA NUHU NAADA, re­ports from Tamale that former Minori­ty Leader and MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, led the demonstrators to march through the street of the business district of Tamale.

The regional secretary of the party, Mr Abdul Salam Mohammed, on be­half of the party presented the petition to the regional director of EC, Mr Yireyile Lucas.

 BY TIMES REPORTERS