Presidential candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has warned the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Electoral Commission (EC) against conspiring to rig the upcoming general elections.
Mr Mahama alleges that the EC has enrolled card-carrying members of the NPP as polling station agents for the December 7 elections. He claimed that the Commission had employed 65 known NPP members as electoral officers in the Gomoa East constituency and 33 in Juaboso constituency in the Western North Region.
According to him, these discoveries are evidence that the election management body and the ruling party are implementing a strategy to rig the presidential and parliamentary elections.
Speaking at a mini rally in Sekondi, located in the Western Region, on Tuesday, 26th November, Mr Mahama urged the EC to remove these names from their list of officers.
He warned:
We expect the EC to identify these people and replace them. The NDC is very vigilant this year. We won’t try to rig the election, so no party should attempt rigging.
Mahama also urged party supporters to stay vigilant during the upcoming elections:
We have noticed that the EC and the NPP usually collude to rig the election, so we must all remain vigilant by monitoring the election, because you can vote wisely, but the results will be rigged.
Meanwhile, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa has reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring the upcoming elections are free, fair, and transparent, starting with the special voting exercise on 2nd December.
She stated:
We are confident that we’ll have a successful special voting arrangement on Monday 2nd December. Our officials are in readiness. We have an adequate supply of the ballot papers, the indelible ink, and the biometric verification devices are also in place to ensure a smooth and seamless special voting exercise come Monday 2nd December 2024.
Jean Mensa made these remarks during an engagement with the National Election Security TaskForce (NESTF) led by the IGP, Dr George Akuffo Dampare on Tuesday, 26th November 2024.