Politics and Elections

EC Press: Allegation of Prevention of NDC agents by EC not true – EC

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Just [remaining-timer] before Tuesday![after]
Just [remaining-timer] before 2020 Election Day![/counter]

EC clears the air on allegations regarding the prevention of NDC agents from observation of registration at some SHS.

Below is the full press release

The Electoral Commission wishes to clarify allegations made to the effect that the Commission prevented Political Party Agents of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from observing the Voters Registration Exercise at the Tepa Secondary School and Prempeh College in the Ashanti Region. The Registration took place on Saturday 18th July 2020.

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The Commission emphatically states that it did not prevent any Party Agent from observing the Registration Exercise at the above-mentioned schools as is being alleged.

Read: NDC attempting to discredit the EC

In line with laid down procedure, the Electoral Commission informed the Political Parties about the planned Registration Excercise and requested to have their Agents at each of the Centres in various schools.

In the case of Tepa Senior High School, the Commission made available sixteen (16) kits for the registration on the school’s campus. As part of measures taken by the school to protect the students from contracting the COVID-19 virus, the school authorities limited the agents for each political party to two (2) agents. Both the NDC and the NPP agreed to this arrangement.

Regarding the registration at Prempeh College, the Agent of the NDC did not show up despite a notice to all Political Parties about the Registration. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the Commission delayed the registration till 1.pm, five clear hours after the approved start time of 7am.

Representatives of the NDC came to the centre at 5.00 pm, after only one hundred and twenty-nine (129) out of over one thousand (1000) eligible applicants had been registered. They called for the registration process to be halted to forestall unrest to the peaceful exercise.

The EC believes that the allegations are calculated to discredit the registration process and bring its name into disrepute. The Commission entreats the General Public to disregard the allegations and work with the Commission to make the registration exercise successful.