Stay off trouble; decision to close polls at 3 pm defies common sense – Haruna Iddrisu tells EC

Former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu has served yet the strongest caution to the Electoral Commission against any agenda intended manipulate the electoral process come December 7, 2024.

According to the Tamale South Legislator, early signals being sent to the public by the Commission, defies common sense and any attempt the status quo or undermine the integrity of the election will be resisted

Citing proposals to close polls at 3pm and abandon the use of indelible ink as some of the ‘funny’ indicators, Haruna Iddrisu who was addressing a Town Hall meeting at Gushegu, today during NDC 2024 candidate, John Mahama’s tour of the Northern region, questioned why EC, failed to test the system during the just ended NPP primaries even after dropping that unpopular hint, yet want to believe it can experiment that in a crucial Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

“Why did you use it (Indelible Ink) for NPP primaries and all of a sudden its not relevant for general election. Go and think again but we would want results aggregated Polling station by polling station, Constituency by Constituency” he said.

“Jean Mensah is also proposing to political parties to accept change of Election date from December 7 to November 7. The EC is also proposing that polls close at 3:00pm instead of the 5:00pm and finally that the 2024 elections will not witness the use of indelible Ink. How possible”? – he quizzed.

He stressed – “We (the NDC) think they must engage further with stakeholders and we do not think that Parliament may be able to build a consensus on that matter. Because it requires a constitutional amendment to article 112(4) and article 113. We think this matter should be deferred for the future and allow 2024 election to be held on 7th December”.

He continued – “it defies common sense. The right to vote established article 42 is not a divisible right. You cannot tell somebody that when its 3:00pm go home. That is above Jean Mensah and the electoral Commission. It is a common-sense matter”

Haruna Iddrisu who spent most part of his address to explain the NDC’s position on use of indelible ink said the relevance of every democracy is the harmony between the elections body and the political parties.

“There is no Electoral Commission anywhere in the world and in any democracy- it is only relevant so long as political parties are relevant. So she (Jean Mensah) should stay off all this trouble and conduct a free fair and credible elections” he warned.