The National Democratic Congress has condemned the Electoral Commission (EC) over what it describes as an attempt to conceal certain facts regarding an alleged bribery incident at one of the polling stations where the by-election is ongoing.
In the said video where a reporter was being filmed giving updates of the processes, the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, who belongs to the NPP, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, was found handling a white envelope from his pocket to the two officers. The EC says it has launched investigations into the act following their withdrawal.
The Electoral Commission, after dismissing the two temporary staff, noted in a statement that investigations are ongoing to ascertain the full facts of the incident.
“The Electoral Commission has taken immediate steps and has withdrawn the two (2) temporary staff while investigations take place.
“The Commission upholds the principles and values of integrity, truth and transparency. These values are reinforced during the training of all temporary staff. The Commission will not countenance acts which cast a slur on the integrity of the institution and will not hesitate to sanction its officials who violate its laws.
“The report on the incident will be made available to the public in due course,” the statement issued by Deputy Chairman of the Commission in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, noted.
But the NDC says EC wants to hide things from the public regarding the exact polling station where the incident happened.
In a statement issued by the Ashanti regional Secretary of the NDC, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, he indicated that the party “demand transparency and accountability from the EC.”
“We call upon the EC to disclose the names and polling stations where these officers were deployed, as we suspect a hasty attempt to conceal the truth of the actual polling stations involved and to evade responsibility,” the statement added.
The NDC has also asked “the EC led by Madam Jean Mensah must do more to redeem their credibility as their unprofessional conduct does not inspires confidence in the lead up to the 2024 general elections.”
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