Movement for Change will only accept result of a free and fair election – Solomon Owusu tells EC

The Movement for Change has categorically stated that it will not accept the outcome of the December 7 election if there is evidence that was rigged.

This follows the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, urging political parties to accept the outcome of the 2024 general elections.

During the presentation of the Democracy Cup to the EC by the leadership of Parliament in Accra on Wednesday, Jean Mensa assured transparent elections and urged political leaders to accept the outcome of the polls.

“Just like in a football match, we serve as the midwives that birth the elections. We are the referees that conduct and lay the elections and the processes that lead to election day itself.

“So, as referees, we are committed to ensuring that our activities from now in the lead-up to the election and all our electoral processes are transparent, open, fair, and involve the collaboration of our key stakeholders, that is, the political parties and the citizenry.

“We commit to ensuring transparency in all aspects of our work… We will commit to maintaining and showing that level of transparency across all aspects of our work.

“So, we also want to entreat and call upon the contestants of the election to accept the outcomes of the election. Surely there will be a winner and surely there will be losers,” she stated.

However, commenting further on the issue in an interview on the Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV on Thursday, a leading member of the Movement for Change, Solomon Owusu, stated that it is not within the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission's authority to tell political parties to accept election results.

“If you organize a free, fair, and transparent election, who will have cause to dispute the results? We know that in every election it is either you win or lose. But we will never accept any outcome of an election when it is clear that the Electoral Commission colluded with others to rig it in favor of a particular political party. As for that one, we will never accept that result. If it is the EC’s intention to rig the election, that is why they and President Akufo-Addo are preparing the minds of Ghanaians, then they must be very careful.”

He added: “The EC has only one mandate: to organize a free, fair, and transparent election. If you conduct a bogus election and tell us to accept the outcome, we will resist with vehemence and all the power we can marshal.”