EC Distances Itself From Yendi Primary Declaration

Jean Mensa – EC Chairperson

 

The Electoral Commission (EC) has disassociated itself from the declaration of the winner in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries held in the Yendi Constituency on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

A statement signed by the Acting Head, Public Affairs of the Electoral Commission, Michael Boadu, read, “The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to a video circulating on social media, depicting a gentleman declaring results of the just ended New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries in the Yendi Constituency in favour of the incumbent. The Commission therefore disassociates itself from the declaration.”

“Seven hundred and eighty-five (785) voters voted, out of seven hundred and ninety-four (794) registered voters. The counting of ballots for the incumbent, Hon. Farouk Aliu Mahama, was disrupted when the Presiding Officer had counted two hundred and ninety-six (296) votes in his favour,” the EC statement pointed out.

The statement further disclosed that the destruction of four hundred and eighty-nine (489) ballots which remained to be counted, made it impossible for the Presiding Officer to complete the collation and declare the results.

During the counting process in the NPP parliamentary primaries in the Yendi Constituency, an Electoral Commission official was arrested by the police for allegedly pocketing ballot papers during the counting process.

The situation created some confusion at the venue, which halted the counting process due to the destruction of the counted ballot papers and some election materials.

Later, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Yendi in the Northern Region, Farouk Aliu Mahama, was declared winner of the parliamentary primary when the EC declined to declare the results due to the confusion surrounding the destroyed ballot papers.

The 3rd National Vice Chairman of the NPP, Alhaji Osman Masawudu, made the declaration in Yendi after a consultation with the regional and national executives of the party.

According to him, the EC official had counted 296 votes in favour of the incumbent MP before the counting process was interrupted.

He revealed that the ballot papers in the possession of EC officials was 199, adding that the ballots were valid.

“With the 296 and the 199 total votes for Farouk Aliu Mahama, that makes it 495 votes out of the total 785 votes, so therefore I stand on behalf of the party as a national officer to declare Farouk Aliu Mahama as the parliamentary candidate for the Yendi Constituency,” the NPP official declared.

 

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