A former Director of Elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Martin Agyei Mensah Korsah, has described as worrying the recent controversy that has struck the Electoral Commission (EC).
According to him, the development affects the integrity of the Commission and as such urgent steps must be taken to resolve the brouhaha.
[contextly_sidebar id=”0WANJBP3Sg3PD0nabpBGhQwOcfdvxbT2″]The EC has been caught in a web of complex controversy that started after some faceless staff of the Commission petitioned the president, Nana Akufo-Addo to impeach the Commissioner, Charlotte Osei, for awarding a GH¢3.9 million to a private company without duly consulting other members of the commission, among other allegations.
Charlotte Osei in a comprehensive response to the allegations said they were unsubstantiated. She accused the Deputy Commissioner in-charge of Operations at the EC, Amadu Sulley of illegal acts including diverting funds meant for the Commission and illegally transferring votes.
She accused Amadu Sulley of persistently effecting illegal vote transfers from his office on the voter management system. An action that is in clear breach of the law and operational policies of the Commission.
Many have expressed worry over the developments from the confusion but Martin Agyei Mensah Korsah has said a thorough investigation must be conducted into the affairs of the Commission.
He confirmed that ahead of the December 7 elections, there was an illegal transfer of votes but he could not state who exactly is behind it.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, he said, “It confirms some of the issues that we put out. We were not just conjuring things from the sky. There were obvious things that were happening that we thought was not right. We were supposed to be stakeholders but things were being done and we were not informed.”
“I’m not allowed to say who is responsible but those things happened. There were instances where we had to move to the district offices and the National Headquarters to stop people. We were not informed, yet transfers were happening,” he said.
He expressed doubt that the Commission would be deemed credible enough to steer the country’s next elections if nothing is done to address the issue.
“It is frightening. If we are not careful I’m wondering if we’ll be left with any Commission to deal with… Investigations that have begun must be done quickly to deal with these matters…If we cannot trust our election managers with money, then what else is left? It is very worrying,” he said.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana