NDC SUMMONS ASPIRANTS …Over Rigging Allegations

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), has denied receiving a petition from Flagbearer aspirants who are reported to be up in arms with the printing of ballots and voter register.

Speaking on Okay FM‘s “Ade Akye Abia” programme,Deputy Communications Director of the party, Peter Boamah Otukonor ,  explained that the party will meet with the six (6) aspirants to thoroughly explain things to them should the said petition get to the hierarchy.

“You see, all aspirants were available for balloting and all their details were taken, but if they have legitimate concerns, we will have a re-look at it to have them resolved, he explained.

“But with the issue of no pictures corresponding with names of voters in the provided album, the party does not have a biometric album like the Electoral Commission so how do they expect us to provide them (6 aspirants) with an album with pictures? However, when we receive their petition and the issues raised, we will address them,” he added.

Why The Petition?

Six presidential aspirants seeking to lead the opposition party were reported to have petitioned the party raising some issues ahead of the upcoming presidential election slated for February 23, 2019.

Some of the concerns raised, according to reports, have to do with the selection of the company to print the ballot papers, as well as the voters’ register album which they claimed came without photographs of NDC members.

Trustworthy Printing Press & Electoral Irregularities

According to the six aspirants namely: Alban SK Bagbin, Nurudeen Ali, Sylvester Mensah, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Goosie Tanoh and Joshua Alabi, the party should award the contract for the printing of the ballot papers to a trustworthy firm such as the Assembly Press, to ensure that some of the irregularities that rocked its national executive elections held in November 2018 does not re-occur.

“We are also deeply concerned about the apparent decision to award the contract for printing of the ballots to the same company that printed ballots for the November NEC elections. As you are no doubt aware, several contestants and observers of those elections have described significant irregularities with the ballot papers.”

“These include incorrect rendering of aspirants’ names, mismatching of pictures and names and presence of duplicate ballot papers (i.e. with the same supposedly “unique” serial number). All of these irregularities have been cited in a discourse that calls the legitimacy of the outcome of some of the NEC elections in question,” the aspirants added in the petition.

The petition was addressed to the party’s National Election Commission and copied to the Chairman of NDC’s National Council of Elders, Jerry John Rawlings, NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia and party Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.