NDC reacts to EC Committee report

The leadership of the main opposition National Democratic Congress is demanding that the recommendations of the committee which was set up by the Electoral Commission to investigate the alleged bloated register recommendations be implemented without delay.

According to the party, most of the recommendations are concerns the NDC over the years have raised but have been ignored by the EC.

Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of NDC, was addressing the media yesterday at the party's headquarters in Accra, in reaction to the committee's report submitted to the EC on Tuesday.

The party called upon the EC to discipline two of its officials, by reassigning Albert Arhin, Director of Elections, and relieving Akomea, Head of the Information Technology Department, of his post.

Again, the NDC suggests that the Commission in collaboration with stakeholders should undertake what they refer to as Management Information System audit of the operations of the EC to engender trust and confidence in the activities of the commission

These measures, according to the Mr Nketia, are part of the NDC's effort and contribution as a political party to safeguard the electoral process which would subsequently serve the best interest of the nation.

In reference to the committee's report, the General Secretary said NDC feels vindicated by three of its findings; that the NDC and party's flagbearer's office obtained hard copies and compact voters' register on CD ROM, that the GCPP also obtained the same documents, and that there were discrepancies between the compact register on the CD ROMs and the hard copy.

He said the EC should rather be grateful to the NDC for pointing out the discrepancies in the figures when the whole commission was not aware of the existence of such problem saying, "the party is committed to dialogue, consultation and consensus building."

Mr Arhin's 'sin' is that, according to the NDC, he had reacted swiftly to party's allegation that the EC has a bloated register in the thirteen constituencies of the Ashanti Region

The Director of Elections was alleged to have said that the figures the NDC was complaining about did not exist in any official documents of the EC, that the NDC has not applied for voters' register in whatever form, and the figures were fabricated by the party in a bid to mar the reputation of the Commission with the ultimate aim of disturbing the country's peace.

On Mr Akomea, this is what the NDC stated, "Seven of the findings directly indict the competence of the Electoral Commission, six out of which relate directly to the competence of the head of the I.T Department and one to the District heads of the commission."

Kwabena Adjei, NDC National Chairman, cautioned that the committee's recommendations should not be politicised.

Though the NDC believes that there are more things to be done, it commended the committee for a good work done.