The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of engaging in acts of lawlessness at collation centres in constituencies where it says the NDC fears losing parliamentary seats.
At a press conference held at the NPP’s headquarters on Monday, December 16, the former National Chairman of the party, Peter Mac Manu, highlighted what the party described as a deliberate strategy by the NDC to disrupt the collation process in the remaining constituencies.
The NPP claimed that the NDC had sent individuals to destroy election materials, such as pink sheets and ballot boxes, attack electoral officers and party representatives, and intimidate anyone who challenged their actions.
“It is shocking that a party claiming victory would destroy the very evidence which is the pink sheets and ballot papers that could validate their success,” he said. “This is not the behaviour of winners but of those desperate to hide their defeat.”
According to the NPP, these incidents have been reported in constituencies including Ablekuma North, Okaikwei Central, Tema Central, Dome Kwabenya, Ahafo Ano North, Obuasi East, Ahafo Ano South West, Akwatia, Suhum, Fanteakwa North, Nsawam Adoagyiri, and Techiman South.
The party further accused the NDC of forcing National Elections Task force members out of collation centres, interrupting the collation process when their candidates appeared to be losing, and pressuring returning officers under threats to declare NDC candidates as winners.
“How does the NDC expect the Electoral Commission to gazette election results that have not been fully collated and declared?” he questioned.
“It’s pretty obvious that the NDC leadership and their supporters, who stormed the collation centres to compel the EC under the threat of death to declare their candidates as winners, have laboured in vain because we are a country of rule of law, not rule of men.”
The NPP concluded with a call for immediate action from the Electoral Commission (EC).
“It is therefore our expectation that the EC will immediately resume the collation exercises. We implore the National Election Security Task Force to provide adequate security to facilitate peaceful collation under a serene environment. We are also calling on the NDC to rein in their supporters. We are very certain that our parliamentary candidates in the above-mentioned constituencies have won the elections based on verifiable data from the pink sheets,” he added.
The party urged the EC and all relevant stakeholders to act promptly to uphold the will of voters in these constituencies. “In the interest of democracy and the peace of our dear country, we urge immediate steps to give effect to the will of the voters as expressed in the December polls,” he concluded.
Source: myjoyonline.com