Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) Jean Adukwei Mensa has rejected assertions by some politicians that the nation’s elections management body is working to make sure the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) is retained.
She maintained that in the current scheme of things, especially the processes with elections in the country, nobody can rig the elections for any candidate.
Mrs Mensa made this known on Tuesday, November 24, when she interacted with some journalists at a training workshop held at the instance of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
She said journalists must be bold to question politicians who accuse the EC of being in bed with government.
“And for your attention, since our appointment as the Chair and deputies, or maybe I should speak for myself, I have met the president on two occasions only and those have been official and have been attended by all commission members,” she said.
“Two occasions only. So, please let’s go into and ask some of these questions when they do because even the president’s sister can’t do anything for him when the citizens reject him.
“The process is such that it is the will of citizens that go and I think we have strengthened that process over time.”
The Chair of the Commission also insisted that, currently, no elections can be rigged for any party as technology now affords even media houses to compile results way ahead of the EC.
“I will be the last person to know [results]. Thankfully, because of technology, the media houses are able to compile the results well ahead of the EC and the whole world is looking.
“So at what point can anything change? And so please let’s be mindful when politicians come to muddy the waters when they try to cause unrest because they will leave us.”
She said the politicians making those allegations are only fueling unrest in the country and must be stopped in their tracks by journalists.
“Believe you me, many of their family will travel out of the country right after voting that same night and sit in London and receive the result or be in the air – and I think on some of the aircrafts you have access to the internet. So, please let’s be mindful. There is no point because you are partners in this. You are monitoring the process, you are collating the results. When a politician comes and says the EC is in bed, you should ask him ‘In what way’?”
Source: editors.3news.com|Ghana
