NDC accuses NPP of tampering with elections
Barely four months to the general elections, the National Youth Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Haruna Iddrisu, has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of attempts to rig the elections. He told The Chronicle in an interview that NDC has in its possession a document that exposes attempts by the NPP to rig the December elections.
The Youth Organiser indicated that the NPP held a meeting on July 8, this year in Tamale, with social commentators, Journalists, Regional and District Information officers to plan towards the 2008 elections.
The Tamale South Member of Parliament said some of the decisions they arrived at which was documented and named as “Ways and Means”, was to infiltrate the Electoral Commission and influence them, if possible, and assure them of security of office.
The document indicated that NPP would lobby to occupy majority of the positions of Returning, Presiding and other adhoc electoral staff and also influence electoral officers with monetary and other gains. “Use the upcoming re-opening of the Voters' register to bloat it, particularly in NPP strongholds with a view to offsetting votes from NPP weakest areas such as Volta and Northern regions, the rural areas and the Zongos.”
“Disenfranchise the NDC stronghold as much as possible, first by creating artificial shortage of registration materials and secondly by collecting unsuspecting women voters ID cards, with the view of distorting their numbers and other particulars.”
“Infiltrate NDC ranks and occupy as many Polling Agents' positions as possible, with a view to compromising NDC positions, and where they are not possible attempt to influence them with money.”
The document continued, “During voting, NPP members should go very early and queue up, with a view to obtaining multiple ballot papers whose backs are stamped but not signed. These ballot papers must be given to known NDC illiterate electorate so that they could be rejected during counting.” Transfer votes from NPP strongholds into weaker constituencies to secure parliamentary seats, such voters to be moved in buses to go and register in those constituencies in order to vote.”
“Create fear and intimidate the electorate in the NDC strongholds of the rural areas and Zongos to reduce turn-up, using the military and the police.”
“Create very sweet message about NHIS, School Feeding programme, Capitation Grants, NYEP. Create unprecedented massive or mammoth rallies using the media and hype it in order to create psychological effect on the minds of the electorate.”
“Transmit own results early to NPP headquarters for them to collate and announce on FM stations and newspapers, ahead of Electoral Commission, to create doubt and confusion, try to hijack the airwaves to paint rosy picture of NPP and its candidate but insist Prof. Mills is not his own man,” it concluded.
Mr. Iddrissu insisted that the document clearly points out some mischief by the ruling NPP to perpetuate themselves in power at all cost, maintaining that he would disclose the venue for the meeting and the names of the people who attended the meeting, when the NPP challenges the authenticity of the document in the NDC's possession.
He said, at the meeting the NPP functionaries distributed documents, which were comparisons of prices of imported commodities, Teachers' salary, cocoa farmer's welfare, and Pensioners' welfare under the NDC and NPP.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris has trashed the allegations that the opposition NDC has levelled against the NPP, stressing that he was a victim of NDC's electoral fraud.
He told The Chronicle that though he did not turn up at the said meeting, he was aware that some journalists were invited for sensitisation, adding that the plans that came up at the meeting were a normal plan executed by all the parties. He concluded that the NDC was scared it would lose the elections, hence they have become panicky.
Mr. Kwaku Sarfo Kwarteng, who was the author of the documents about Teachers' salary, cocoa farmer's welfare and Pensioners' welfare, said the documents were compiled by him, but he was not aware that it was distributed at the meeting.
He stressed that the information were factual, adding that “We would be winning the elections, so why do we have to rig?”