Bawumia didn't bribe EC officials - EC

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia did not bribe the two officials of the Electoral Commission (now dismissed) who verified his voter details “outside” a designated exhibition centre during the 21-day voter exhibition exercise, Director of Communications of the election management body Eric Dzakpasu has said.

According to Mr Dzakpasu, the three-member committee which investigated allegations that the three-time vice presidential nominee of the New Patriotic Party not only had his details verified at his residence but also bribed the two officers with GHS10,000 each, did not make any such findings.

“What the committee came out with is what was in the release. What it means, therefore, is that we could not establish that there was indeed some motivation, money- or material-wise, which induced them to work outside the centre,” he explained.

“No issue of bribery was reported to the Electoral Commission,” Mr Dzakpasu said, adding: “We did not receive any formal complaint of any monetary inducement of bribery, so that could not have been the term of reference for the committee.”

The two EC officials involved in the infraction are Yobe Ambrose and Mumuni Latifa. Apart from the bribery allegation, a statement released by the three-member committee set up by the Northern Regional Directorate of the Commission to investigate the incident also did not mention that Dr Bawumia was verified in his home.

The committee said: “… On the said date, Mr Ambrose Yobe (Exhibition Officer) and Ms Mumuni Latifa (Verification Officer) closed and vacated their exhibition centre before the stipulated closing time of 6pm. That Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was facilitated by both officers to check his name in the voters’ register and got verified outside the exhibition centre.”

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Service has taken up the matter for investigations.