NDC makes allegations about electoral malfeasance, intimidation hours to start of polls

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has made several allegations of electoral malfeasance and state-sponsored intimidation of voters at its strongholds with less than 24 hours to the start of polls on Monday.

According to the main opposition party, it has received several reports about stuffing of ballot boxes, overprinting of ballot papers and the use of unauthorised pink sheets, which are forms used to record the statement of poll and declaration of poll results.

Although the NDC did not expressly state the perpetrated of these alleged malfeasances, the opposition party has in the past blamed the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of an elaborate plot to steal the elections.

Addressing an emergency press conference at the NDC headquarters in Accra on December 6, 2020, Director of Operations for the 2020 Campaign, Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd), said an article published recently by some retired military generals that raised issues with ongoing activities that threaten Ghana's peace gives the NDC serious concerns.

“It is important that we do whatever it takes to ensure that we have credible elections that will therefore be acceptable to everybody…there are several reports that we receiving even now about certain things that raise heads,” he said.

“There several reports about issues about pink sheets, issues about ballot papers that have been thumb-printed, complaints about intimidation, complaints about arrests and those things are not good for us,” he stressed.

He said with polls starting tomorrow, the EC must be prepared to respond swiftly to these reports before they blow up into violent agitations.

“The EC must move swiftly to respond to these issues and whatever is going to give us concern that the polls will not be free and fair,” Col Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd) stressed.

Speaking briefly after Col Gbevlo-Lartey, former Information Minister, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, said while the NDC will strive to abide by the electoral laws, its members will protect the sanctity of tomorrow’s ballots no matter the price.

“We will defend tomorrows ballot at all cost. We are interested in a credible, transparent, free election,” he said.

More than 17 million voters are expected to take part in the December 7 election, representing 2 million more voters than in the last election.

The EC has said 33,000 polling stations have been dedicated for the presidential and parliamentary polls.

The race will largely be between the incumbent NPP led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the opposition NDC, led by John Dramani Mahama although there are 10 other presidential candidates.