No political party has mandate to declare election results - Dr Wemah

The Chairman of Northern Development Authority (NDA), Dr Hakeem Wemah, has warned against the usurpation of the mandate of the Electoral Commission by anyone during the December 7th presidential and parliamentary elections.

According to Dr Wemah, “you do not have the mandate to conduct and declare election results, the EC does, leave them to fulfill their constitutional mandate,'' he said.

Dr Wemah was speaking alongside eight other distinguished moral voices in Tamale at the Elders and Moral Community's Peace Conference organized by the Northern Development and Democratic Instutite,NDDI, a Tamale-based policy think-tank, on the theme; Delivering peaceful, free, fair and credible election – a responsibility for all Ghanaians.

He said, per the 1992 constitution, the EC was clothed with the authority to conduct elections, count the votes, collate and announce the final results, nobody else.

He affirmed that when all and sundry complied with the constitutional stipulation, Ghanaians would emerge from this forthcoming elections successfully to the admiration of the world.

According him, the EC proved capable and enhanced its transparency parameters through its Let the People Know briefing policy and called on Ghanaians to support them to discharge its mandate diligently to deliver credible polls for all.

He admonished Ghanaians that ''let's shame the naysayers. Let's have a peaceful, free and fair elections'' to the envy of the world, Dr Wemah.

In his welcoming address, Mr. Mustapha Sanah, Executive Chairman of the NDDI charged all major political actors to support the call for peace before during and after the 2020 elections.

According to him, a cursory audit of the EC indicated that the Commission was poised to deliver free, fair and transparent elections.

Mr. Sanah urged all the political parties, the media, security agencies and observer organizations to support the EC to engender transparency and deliver free and fair elections.

Other speakers included; Madam Lawrencia Adams, international development experts, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, UN Special Envoy in West Africa, H.E. Madam Diana Acconcia, EU ambassador to Ghana, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, President of Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Rev Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Peace Council, Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Chairman of the National Media Commission and His Eminence, Dr Osmanu Nuhu Sharabutu, National Chief Imam.

The peace conference was chaired by Prof. Haruna Yakubu, former vice chancellor of the University for Development, with Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II as the Special Guest of Honour.

---GNA