NDC makes accusations about electoral embezzlement, hours of intimidation for the start of the polls

General news for Sunday, December 6, 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2020-12-06

The Democratic National Congress (NDC) has made several accusations of electoral embezzlement and state-sponsored voter intimidation in its strongholds with less than 24 hours until the polls start on Monday.

According to the main opposition party, it has received several reports of ballot box filling, ballot overprinting, and use of unauthorized pink sheets, which are forms used to record the ballot and the declaration of voting results.

Although the NDC did not expressly declare the perpetration of these alleged irregularities, in the past the opposition party blamed the ruling New Patriotic Party (PNP) for an elaborate plot to steal the elections.

Speaking at an emergency press conference at NDC headquarters in Accra on December 6, 2020, Campaign 2020 Operations Director Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd), said that an article recently published by some generals Retired military raised issues with Activities threatening Ghana’s peace give NDC serious concerns.

“It is important that we do whatever it takes to ensure that we have credible elections that are therefore acceptable to all … there are various reports that we are receiving even now about certain things that are raising their heads,” he said.

“There are various reports on issues about pink sheets, issues about ballots that have been thumb-printed, complaints about intimidation, complaints about arrests and those things are not good for us,” he emphasized.

He said that with elections starting tomorrow, the EC must be prepared to respond quickly to these reports before they erupt into violent upheavals.

“The EC must act quickly to respond to these problems and everything that concerns us that the elections will not be free and fair,” emphasized Colonel Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd).

Speaking briefly after Colonel Gbevlo-Lartey, former Information Minister Kofi Totobi Quakyi, said that while the NDC will strive to comply with election laws, its members will protect the sanctity of tomorrow’s ballots regardless of price.

“We will defend tomorrow’s vote at all costs. We are interested in free, transparent and credible elections, ”he said.

More than 17 million voters are expected to participate in the December 7 election, representing 2 million more voters than in the last election.

The EC has said that 33,000 polling stations have been dedicated for presidential and parliamentary elections.

The contest will largely be between the current PNP led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the opposition NDC, led by John Dramani Mahama, although there are 10 other presidential candidates.