E-transmission: Agyepong would’ve explained matters to confused NPP – Adu Asare

Presidential Staffer, Kojo Adu Asare has said the largest opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s confusion over the controversial issue of the Electoral Commission (EC) against adopting the e-transmission of electoral results is self inflicted.

According to him, the party’s suspended General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong who’s well grounded in electoral matters and has led the NPP’s team at Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings organized by the EC would have been in a better position to explain matters to the party if he were still to be in office.

There has been a raging controversy in the past week after the Campaign Manager of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu cautioned the EC against adopting the e-transmission of electoral results unless it secures legal backing. Mr Manu’s statement got NPP communicators accusing the EC of trying to smuggle in a policy to help rig the elections for the ruling party.

But the EC has since produced documents signed by, Kwabena Agyapong then General Secretary of the NPP, Johnson Asiedu Nketia on behalf of the NDC, other smaller parties and Civil Society organizations including the Institute of Economic Affairs, IEA.

On Thursday, the NPP told a news conference among other things that, they did not know anything about the electronic transmission of votes for this elections. The party explained that it had only agreed that hand-held scan machines be used to scan results as tabulated or collated at the constituencies for onward transmission to the national collation center.

This, John Boadu, acting General Secretary of the party noted is different from scanning or whatever of results at the polling station.

“It is not a question of whether we need that technology or not, it’s a question of even agreeing whether we need that technology or not” he added.

But commenting on the matter on Peace FM Friday, Kojo Adu Asare, who’s also a former Member of Parliament for Adenta stated that the NPP should contact their suspended General Secretary to grant the party a thorough briefing and explanation.

” I just can’t understand what the NPP’s complaint is all about…I don’t see the head and tail of the concerns. If Kwabena Agyepong were to be in office, he would have walked the party through whatever this issue is all about so that the NPP will better appreciate the EC’s move to adopt policy of e-transmitting elections results. The NPP’s confusion is self inflicted.”