Biakoye NDC Organizer Election suspended over ballot numbering error

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency executive elections in Biakoye have been disrupted following inconsistencies in the numbering of ballot papers for the Constituency Organizer position, leading to the suspension of the contest between incumbent Organizer Hon. Rashid Dauda and challenger Wisdom Willington Ofori.

The discrepancy involved the numbering assigned to the two candidates, with Dauda appearing as number one on some ballot papers and number two on others. Ofori was similarly listed under both numbers on different ballot papers.

The error raised concerns because both candidates had campaigned among delegates using their respective ballot positions ahead of the election.

Following discussions, the election committee and the two contestants agreed to suspend the process to address the discrepancies and protect the credibility of the election.

Reacting to the development in an interview with the news team, Hon. Rashid Dauda described the error as “unpardonable” and called on the election committee to publicly explain how the inconsistencies occurred.

He said he had campaigned for months as candidate number two, only to discover on election day that the positions had been interchanged on some of the printed ballot papers.

“This mistake, I think, is one of the unpardonable mistakes. It behoves them to publicly come and explain why this happened,” he said.

Hon. Dauda further argued that the problem could have been avoided if the candidates’ agents had been given the opportunity to inspect the ballot papers before voting began.

Despite expressing dissatisfaction with the development, he urged his supporters to remain calm while the party works towards rescheduling the election. He also expressed confidence in his chances of retaining the position.

Meanwhile, challenger Wisdom Willington Ofori also expressed disappointment over the incident but appealed to his supporters to remain calm.

Speaking exclusively to the news team, Mr. Ofori disclosed that approximately 171 delegates had cast their votes before the numbering error was discovered.

He said continuing the election under the circumstances could have created tension and potentially disadvantaged either candidate, making the decision to suspend the process necessary.

“It is a bit disappointing, but that is the will of God. By the time we realised, about 171 delegates had already cast their votes. Continuing might cause either myself or my opponent some problems. So, the best decision was to put the election on hold for now,” he said.

Unlike his opponent, Mr. Ofori did not suggest that the error was deliberate, indicating that fatigue or an oversight might have contributed to the situation.

He nevertheless stressed the need for thorough checks and due diligence before voting resumes to prevent a recurrence.

Outlining his agenda for the constituency, Mr. Ofori said he intended to introduce a new database system, bulk short message service (SMS) and voice messaging to improve communication with party delegates and constituents.

He also maintained that his position as candidate number one should remain unchanged when the election is rescheduled.

Efforts to obtain an official response from the election committee were unsuccessful, as Mr. Wonder Totime, the Director of Elections, declined to grant an interview on the discrepancies in the ballot papers. His comments on the circumstances surrounding the error and the measures being taken to prevent a recurrence were therefore not available at the time of publication.

The election committee and the two contestants jointly decided to suspend the election after the ballot discrepancies came to light.

The committee is expected to address the numbering error and communicate a new date for the Constituency Organizer election.