Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has tasked religious leaders and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to be interested in activities of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the run-up to the 2024 polls.
He has advised the bodies not to wait till the eve of the elections to organise prayers since that will not have any impart on the exercise.
According to the former Eastern Regional Minister, some unilateral decisions taken by the EC such as asking the party agents not to monitor the vote transfer exercise, are the things the religious leaders and the CSOs should speak about rather than waiting till the D-day.
“You cannot set out the rules without involving the stakeholders who are the key players. You’ve been appointed referee for the political parties so why would you make rules without their involvement? The Civil Society and all stakeholders should know that that is the understanding we all need to get. They don’t have to wait till when the elections is near before they organise all night prayers. Those ones are not necessary,” he said on Maakye on Onua TV Monday, June 24, 2024.
The former lawmaker for Fanteakwa North reiterated that “what is needed to be done in the first place is to ensure the structures are all in place. When all the stakeholders are all involved, the prayers will not even be much because the systems in place will work.”
“Putting the EC to check in its preparations in the run-up to the elections for a free and fair exercise is where I expect our religious leaders and Civil Society Organisation, traditional authorities and all, to show interest rather than waiting for a month where we will be called to go and sign a Memorandum of Understanding to accept the results. If we don’t do this thing, that signature we’ll go and sign will be in vain,” he added.
Meanwhile, the former NDC Chair also noted that they have no excuse to give Ghanaians if they don’t win the December elections.
“I don’t think we have any excuse to give Ghanaians this time around. Because wherever we go, Ghanaians tell us they will vote for us but it is only left for us to protect the votes to ensure the result is declared.
“This is the reason we have been putting the EC to check on its activities because if we don’t ensure that the EC does the right thing, we’ll be swayed. We all need to raise the awareness for the need for a neutral umpire who will give us the hope that the choice of the people will not be changed,” he relayed in Twi.
