EC counters Minority claims over notice of demo

The Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) has refuted claims by the Minority in Parliament that the state’s elections management body deliberately refused to receive members’ petition on Tuesday, December 22 despite an earlier notice.

“For the record, the Electoral Commission wishes to inform the general public that it did not receive prior notice of the said presentation of the petition from the Minority Caucus,” the Commission said in a statement later on Tuesday.

It said the said letter was received by the Commission at 10:08am when the march was reportedly to start at 10:00am.

The Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) embarked on the march to complement nationwide protests by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against the results of the December 7 elections.

The NDC claims it won both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

But the march on Tuesday by the NDC MPs was curtailed as none of the commissioners of the EC was available to receive the petition.

They were also stopped in their tracks by the police at the Ridge Roundabout near the EC headquarters.

But the statement by the EC clarified: “It is important to state, the leadership of the Electoral Commission respects and holds dear Ghana’s institutions of state, a key one being the Parliament of Ghana.

“As such, had the Electoral Commission been properly notified of the said presentation, its leadership would have been present to receive the petition from the Minority in Parliament.”

But the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who led the march, told journalists that they had duly written to the Commission a day before they intended to embark on the march.

The Tamale South MP said the Commission will pay a price for this wanton “disrespect”.

He said he is a member of the Special Budget Committee and he will make sure the current EC is paid back in its own coin.

By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana

Follow @kwame_amoh