The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has clarified that the party’s demand for a forensic audit of the voter’s register is only to ensure that their flagbearer has a level playing field in the December elections.
His comment is in response to the Electoral Commission’s request for John Dramani Mahama to call the party to the discussion table to help address alleged discrepancies in the provisional voter’s register that the party claims to have identified.
However, the party chairman has refused to heed the EC’s call to involve their flagbearer.
Mr Nketia said it appears the EC has not thought through its request to Mr Mahama. He explained that the former president could see the discrepancies himself, and it would, therefore, be unfavorable for him to agree to Jean Mensa’s request.
The chairman, also known as General Mosquito, said the party was acting in Mahama’s interest, and it seems odd to think that he would not allow them to push through with their plans to ensure that the elections are transparent.
“I am sorry but they are assuming that John Mahama cannot think for himself. The election we are going into is presidential and parliamentary. If there is any interest to be protected there, John Mahama’s interest is greater than all of us because it is his election whose integrity we are working to maintain.
“So unless EC people assume that President Mahama doesn’t know what works in his interest that is why they will be contemplating appealing to him to talk to those of us who are working to ensure that he will benefit from a transparent election to stop so that they can carry on with their rigging,” he said
For several weeks now, the NDC has raised concerns about some irregularities in the voter’s register, declaring a nationwide demonstration against the EC on September 17 following its refusal to accept an independent audit of the register.
The calls became louder after the EC admitted that some of its district officers had transferred votes illegally without recourse to the law, an anomaly the Commission says it has corrected and penalized the officers involved.
Mr Nketia said he was pleased that, at the very least, the EC accepts that there is a problem, reiterating that the party would only accept the register if a forensic audit is carried out.
Source: myjoyonline.com
