Deputy Director of Elections for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mahdi Jibril, has taken a swipe at the Electoral Commission (EC), accusing it of refusing to release the provisional register to them.
He laments that, as a body mandated to organise a transparent, credible process in the run-up to the elections, it is rather engaging in activities that will undermine the integrity of the elections.
He alleged that the reason why the EC has failed to release the provisional register to the NDC is because of the machinations and agenda to rig the elections.
He said the NDC has uncovered the plot by bloating the register with numbers, and because of that, it is unable to release the provisional register.
‘’We have uncovered the plot by the EC to bloat the register or add names to it so they fear the disgrace of being exposed. This is the first time in Ghana’s history that the EC has refused to release a provisional timetable, as the law requires. I was there on Friday at their request, but the EC did not give me the register. They have referred to a law that gives them a 90-day period to release the register, but that is what anyone who wants to rig the elections for the NPP will say. They want to rig the elections, and we have uncovered that plot, so they are now jittery,’’ he said on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM with host Kwabena Agyapong.
Mahdi Jibril stated without mincing words that it will not allow the EC to manipulate the electoral processes in favour of NPOP, breaking the eight-year-jinx.
He said it is required for the EC to release the provisional register before the exhibition of voters, and after the process of correction and any other activities, you release the final register, but the EC has not released the provisional register.
Mahdi Jibril said the EC has printed the register in the regions but is scared to give the NDC a copy because there are discrepancies in them.
‘’That is why we have indicated to the Peace Council that elections are not an event. It is a process that must be credible, free, fair, and transparent. If you refuse to advise the EC to avoid activities that can undermine the integrity of the elections, then what is the essence of signing a peace pact? That will have no impact, but the entire process that will ensure a free and transparent process has been compromised. With all these unfortunate incidents and the EC in its current state declaring election results, would you accept it? The EC has not demonstrated fairness and transparency. The NDC has been smart in discovering their evil agenda, and that has scared them.’’
‘’The President and his NPP have confidence and have refused to hand over power because the EC is prepared to rig the results for them. But we’ve uncovered the plot, and we will take them on, and they cannot do anything to thwart the victory of former President John Dramani Mahama,’’ he added.
He said it takes at least a week to finish work on the provisional register by political parties, and so it should have been deployed far ahead of the start of the exhibition, which is scheduled to start on August 20, 2024.
Source: rainbowradionline.com
