EC Apologizes To The Media

THE ELECTORAL Commission (EC) has apologized to the Ghanaian media for its inability to include journalists in the special voting exercise in the run-up to Friday’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

The media was excluded from early voting as a result of the passage of CI 78. This decision has received widespread condemnation since it has been viewed as a move to hamper the work of journalists in their effort to provide comprehensive coverage of the general elections.

Addressing journalists in Sunyani on Friday, the Commission Member responsible for Brong Ahafo, Ebenezer Aggrey-Fynn, apologized on behalf of the EC saying how the issue escaped them still remained a mystery to the commission.

“We believe the media play a very key role in an election and in future we will be able to rectify the problem.”

“We are asking our officers to let you vote early enough so that you can do your work. We still hope that you will be able to get us the news on the elections despite the anomaly,” he added.

The meeting was to dialogue with journalists from across the region, sensitize them on electoral processes and brief them on the preparations the commission had so far made towards Friday’s polls.

Mr. Aggrey-Fynn said the EC had introduced many inbuilt mechanisms into the electoral system that had ensured integrity in the system and will produce accurate results.

He said the EC had established firm principles and clear procedures in its activities and built the operational capacity of its officers to be able to deal with the challenges they might come up.

The commission member assured political parties that the EC will apply the electoral rules fairly to all political parties, saying the EC was independent and did not take any instructions from anyone, not even the President.

He reiterated the commission’s position to prevent minors whose names had appeared in the voters’ register from voting. He however warned parents, political parties and all other stakeholders to advise the said children from coming out to vote since they could be arrested after exercising their franchise.

Brong Ahafo Regional EC Director, George Gyabaah said journalists had a vital role to play in the election, saying “what you see and say can either make or unmake the election.”

He therefore appealed to journalists to give fair and impartial reports on the election so that the results will be acceptable to all political parties in order to have peaceful polls.

Meanwhile, the EC has distributed electoral materials to all constituencies in the region.