The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has strongly condemned the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to re-collate parliamentary election results for four contentious constituencies in the Eastern Region.
The re-collation exercise, slated for the Tesano Police Training School, involves the Suhum, Nsawam, Fanteakwa North, and Akwatia constituencies, which have been a source of dispute between the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
During a press conference on Friday, 13 December, NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah expressed grave concerns about the legality of the process.
According to him, the directive issued by the EC on Thursday, 12 December, contravenes established electoral laws and lacks consensus from the parties involved.
“It is not founded on any laws of our elections. Neither is it based on any consensus that has been reached between the parties and the Electoral Commission.”
“And so we want to inform the nation and to give notice to any officials of the Commission and the police who are involved in the perpetration of that illegality to know that there could be consequences of their actions in future,” – He stated.
Asiedu Nketiah further argued that electoral laws mandate only the constituency’s Returning Officer to declare the outcomes of parliamentary elections.
As emphasised by him, no other authority, including the EC Chairperson or regional directors, has the legal power to override the Returning Officer’s pronouncements.
