Former President John Dramani Mahama has issued a stern warning to the Electoral Commission (EC) ahead of this year’s general elections.
According to the former President and flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the party will not accept the 2020 election results should they suspect any underhand dealings by the EC.
“As leader of the NDC, I wish to serve notice that we shall do all our parts to ensure that our country remains peaceful and that the electoral process proceeds smoothly, but let nobody assume that we will accept the results of a flawed elections”, he cautioned.
Mr. John Mahama made this comment at a ceremony yesterday , June 10, 2020 to mark the 28th anniversary of the National Democratic Congress.
The NDC was founded on June 10, 1992 and won the first elections of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
The anniversary event saw in attendance the NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Leader of the Minority in Parliament, HarunaIddrisu and other dignitaries.
Delivering a speech during the occasion, Mr. Mahama recounted that the NDC has been a key stakeholder in the country’s elections, participating in all seven elections under the democratic dispensation.
According to him, although the NDC will challenge any flawed electoral results, it shall however conduct itself within the frontiers of the law.
“We have a history of accepting results of the elections whenever we have believed in the integrity of the polls,” he added.
He also emphasized that the NDC is waiting on the Supreme Court ruling regarding their petition against the Electoral Commission.
The party is praying the highest court of the land to direct the EC to include the Voters’ ID card in the new voters’ registration exercise and also seeking a declaration on whether the Commission’s decision to compile a new register is in compliance with it’s constitutional mandate.
The former President stressed that the Supreme Court hearing on Thursday, June 11 will help the party “determine whether we have a flawed election or we have an election that we have confidence in that the will of the people have been properly expressed”.
Earlier in his address, Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, charged members of the party to reject the call to participate in the Electoral Commission’s (EC) mass voters registration exercise scheduled to begin on June 30, 2020.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said the party was against the compilation of the new voters register because the atmosphere in the country was not conducive for the exercise.
“We say no to the new register and even if Parliament passes the legislation we will not accept it. We are not just against it because they will not accept the old voter card but because the whole atmosphere in the country is not conducive,” he said.