The Founder and flag bearer of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Kofi Akpaloo, has said the Electoral Commission (EC) is not in a position to be able to rig the 2020 elections, as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wants Ghanaians to believe.
According to him, the EC regularly engages all stakeholders on its activities leading to the elections, during which party representatives are able to make inputs.
“And we can assure that the EC cannot and will not rig any election for any party in this country. I don’t think EC can do that and will ever do that,” he stated.
Mr Akpaloo did not think the commissioners would come together to rig the elections in any party’s favour, looking at them being appointed by both NDC and New Patriotic Party (NPP) governments.
However, he said the NDC, which is backing its rigging claim with the inclusion of the Ghana Card as a requirement for voter registration, chose to walkout of the meeting that discussed the subject.
He added that but for the NDC’s walkout, it may have made a point during the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting in March this year.
Kofi Akpaloo was addressing a news conference yesterday in Accra.
“We’ve realised that the NDC is trying all that it can, not to cooperate with the institution that is helping to conduct [the] next elections. As a country, we have all resolved to use the National Identification Card for all public transactions. One of such transactions is the registration of the EC card.
“We had a meeting on the 25th of March, 2020 at the IPAC Conference Room and the NDC walked out; and at that meeting, we all suggested to the EC on the amendment of the CI 91 in which is currently in Parliament for the election 2020.
“In there, we all agreed that we should use the National Identification Card and also passport. And if a qualified Ghanaian doesn’t have any of these two, then they can decide to use, at least, two people to vouch for them, which we all agreed.
“So, if the NDC had been at that meeting without walking out, maybe they would have suggested something which may have been taken into consideration or not. But, all that they could do was to go out and misinform Ghanaians,” he added.
The NDC had raised concerns over what it says was a low turnout of the Ghana Card registration, using same to buttress its argument that the card should not be a requirement, because many Ghanaians may not have it.
But, Mr Akpaloo could not accept the claim of the NDC, stating that the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, on July 23, 2018, released a statement to the press, advising followers of the party not to partake in the Ghana Card registration.
“And now these people are out there saying that most of their people don’t carry the NIA card so how are they going to register and vote. You see, we have to be careful with this NDC and the way they operate in this country,” he remarked.
He expected the NDC, especially its presidential candidate, to tell Ghanaians the alternative the party is bringing, but rather, are “blowing fear and panic. And it is like they want this country to go into civil war with their comments.”
He urged Ghanaians to remain calm and concentrate on their daily activities, for the NDC cannot do anything to destroy the peace in the country.
The post EC can’t rig 2020 elections -Kofi Akpaloo appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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