EC padding figures, a figment of NDC's imagination - Atik Mohammed

PNC General Secretary, Atik Mohammed has jumped to the defence of the Electoral Commission (EC) over claims by some National Democratic Congress (NDC) members that the Commission is "padding figures" in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

According to them, in some registration centres, the registrant numbers exceed those who actually queued up to register and therefore accuse the EC of cooking figures with the aim of rigging the 2020 elections.

It could be recalled that, before the commencement of the registration exercise, the NDC had accused the EC of conniving with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to rig the elections for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his NPP government.

The party further accused the Electoral Management Body of trying to disenfranchise some eligible Ghanaians and even went to court to stop the exercise but the Supreme Court overruled their legal requests giving the EC the green light to conduct the exercise.

However, it appears the EC Chairpersons' nightmares are not over as the party has raised numerous concerns over the exercise and one of them is that the Commission is tampering with the figures.

Addressing the issue on 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Atik Mohammed stressed that the ''padded figures'' claims are only a figment of the imagination by the political opponents.

He cautioned them to stop peddling falsehood about the EC.

"Sometimes, we exaggerate episodes with the view to winning some political capital but it doesn't help in the long view. To say that the Electoral Commission is padding figures . . . it means they have added non-existing numbers to the figures they recorded but it is far from the truth . . . Sometimes, we have some pet words but if you want to use your pet words, you need to be circumspect and assess your choice of words whether or not it will be disturbing. Because the person is just crazy about the word 'pad', so he wants to use the word 'padded' but your excitement to use your pet words can have some unintended outcomes. So, it is not true that the Electoral Commission padded figures," he stated.

He also strongly held that the current EC esteems the transparency of the process and will do no such thing as rigging the exercise or elections.

"The Electoral Commission has created a transparency regime relative to this registration that every Monday and every, I think, Wednesday; they will hold a seminar to update Ghanaians about what's going on. There is nothing to hide . . . And they have also made it clear that if you have any concerns, send it for them to address it. Someone who wants to steal from you needs no permission from you."

''If the Electoral Commission wants to rig ballots or rig the registration, which I don't even understand how that could happen but if they had an ill motive, why would they want to engage the public? Why would they want to update the public on what's happening?'' he further questioned.