JoyFM: Confusion at EC Headquarters

High-pitched exchanges have been traded between officials of the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress at the offices of the Electoral Commission over allegations the NPP is trying to smuggle in doctored presidential election results.

Dr. Tony Aidoo, former Deputy Defence Minister and Fifi Kwetey, NDC Propaganda Secretray of the NDC say NPP officials, including Kwabena Agyapong, are claiming figures from constituencies in the Ashanti Region are being regenerated to show turn outs of between 97 and 99 per cent.

Media reports said Kwabena Agyapong was heckled after he emerged from the EC Strongroom by the NDC officials who accused him being the source of the ‘ bloated’ figures, alleged to be for Old Tafo, Suame and Manhyia constituencies.

Joy News correspondent Sammy Darko says it took the personal intervention of the Chairman of the Electoral Commission to cool down tempers, after assuring them of amicable settlement.

He said while the NDC representatives in the EC Strongroom and an idependent observer have claimed results from the disputed constituency have long been received and in the custody of the parties, the NDC claimed new, higher figures started flowing about as the true results from those constituencies.

Rojo Mettle Nunoo, head of the NDC team in the strongroom, also maintained that hours after results from those constituencies have been certified, the NPP and Electoral Commission officials called him to certify new results which he objected to. He said at the time, only four constiuency results nationwide, including two from the Ashanti Region, were outstanding.

He refused to sign, and when he and his colleagues checked on the Commissioner himself, he responded that he had received far less results than the parties claimed to have.

The NDC says it suspects some officials of the EC were in league with the NPP to 'massage' the actual figures to give undue advantage to the NPP, hence the delay in transmitting results between the Strongroom and the Chairman's office, in the same compound.

Results collation has since been suspended as both contending parties have abandoned their post.

Meanwhile hordes of NDC followers have besieged the EC offices to protest the alleged manipulation.