The Electoral Commission of Ghana has refuted allegations by the NDC that it is colluding with the NPP to insert an unqualified aspirant in the voter register for the upcoming Assin North bye-election.
The Commission described the allegations as false and a figment of the author’s imagination, aimed at maligning its integrity.
In a statement on Sunday, June 4, signed by its Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, the NDC alleged that it has “unimpeachable” evidence that the NPP is collaborating with the EC to insert one Charles Opoku Assin North constituency’s voter register.
However, reacting to the allegations on Monday, the EC stated that it had not received any request from the NPP to transfer the votes of any person.
The Commission noted that a person does not need to be a registered voter in a constituency to contest elections within the same constituency, with particular reference to Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution.
According to the Commission, hailing from a constituency and being a sound-minded Ghanaian of 21 years and above suffices for one to contest in the constituency.
Below is the full statement from the Electoral Commission:
RE: NPP AND THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION IN A PLOT TO ILLEGALLY INSERT THE NAME OF AN UNQUALIFIED NPP PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE INTO THE ASSIN NORTH VOTERS’ REGISTER
The Electoral Commission’s attention has been drawn to a misleading press statement attributed to the National Communications Officer of the NDC alleging collaboration between the NPP and the EC for the purpose of transferring the vote of one Charles Opoku to the Assin North Constituency to enable him to contest the upcoming by-election in the said constituency.
We wish to state that this is not true.
For the records, the EC has not received any such request from the NPP to transfer the votes of any person. This allegation is false and a figment of the author’s imagination. As usual, it is aimed at maligning the integrity of the Electoral Commission.
Per Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution, a person does not need to be a registered voter in a particular constituency to enable him/ her to contest an election in that constituency.
Per the Constitution, simply hailing from a constituency entitles a person to contest an election in that constituency so long as the person is
A Ghanaian
Twenty-one years and above
Of sound mind
And a registered voter
In the event that a person who wishes to contest in a particular constituency does not hail from that constituency, that person will be eligible to contest if he/she is ordinarily resident in that constituency or has been a resident there for a total period of not less than five years out of the ten years immediately preceding the election for which he/she stands.
We make this point to buttress the fact that a person who hails from a constituency per the Constitution need not be a registered voter in the constituency he /she wishes to contest in. Simply hailing from there is enough.
As such there is no reason to engage in transfers as alleged by the NDC Communications Officer.
It is a well-known fact that the current Commission has been the most transparent and accountable in its operations. The Commission has carried out its mandate in strict consonance with the Constitution.
To date, the NDC has not proved a single allegation they have made against the EC.
The continuous maligning of state institutions such as the EC by the NDC only weakens and undermines our democracy.
The EC will continue to uphold transparency, fairness, and integrity in all its operations. We urge the good people of Ghana to trust us to continue to deliver credible elections.
