2012 polls most transparent ever – Afari-Gyan

Chairman of Ghana's the Electoral Commission has told the Supreme Court in the ongoing election petition hearing that the 2012 general elections were the “most transparent ever” held in Ghana’s history.

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, who was under cross-examination by the Lead Counsel for the President’s Lawyer said in court, on Wednesday June 5, 2013, that none of the rigging allegations made in court by the petitioners, constitutes a strong basis for reversing the declared results.

The petitioners-main opposition New Patriotic Party’s Flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the Party’s Chairman Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey claim the Electoral Commission colluded with the President and the governing National Democratic Congress to rig the elections, thus their resort to the Court to challenge the results.

They claim the use of duplicate serial numbers on election results slips (pink sheets), failure to sign those sheets as well as the strategic manipulation of results in favour of the President, were a few of the several vehicles used to rig the polls.

However, Dr. Afari-Gyan on Wednesday gave the elections a clean bill of health declaring that relative to previous elections, “this will be the most transparent elections we’ve ever had”.

Asked by the President’s Lead Counsel, Mr. Tony Lithur as to whether the petitioners had a convincing case to merit overturning the Presidential results, Dr. Afari-Gyan said: “Absolutely no”.