Accra, March 11, GNA - The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday said it had no problem with the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for pointing out discrepancies in the voters' register.
The NPP stated: "It is the duty of a responsible individual or corporate citizen who becomes aware of any shortfalls with the institutional or procedural arrangements for election management to draw the attention of the relevant authorities with the view to rectifying whatever anomalies that may have been noticed."
"In this light and principle, the NPP does not have any qualms with the NDC or any other individual or corporate citizen for raising practical concern about the electoral register as has happened in the last few days by the NDC," Nana Ohene Ntow stated at a press conference in Accra.
Nana Ohene Ntow explained that the party has also noticed some minimal discrepancies in the electoral statistics that the party obtained from the EC headquarters and from the Ashanti Region. The discrepancies were, however, not as huge as the NDC had purported in their allegations, he said, adding, "even though minimal we must admit it is still dangerous for peaceful elections."
The NPP General Secretary said: "Though the sinister and cynical nature of the so-called exposure is not lost on us, we believe the EC has the ability and capacity to handle any complaints put before it". Nana Ohene Ntow said the NPP's principal concern was about the NDC's unwarranted accusation against the NPP to the effect that the voters' register was bloated in the Ashanti Region to help the NPP rig the general election.
"We maintain that this accusation is a baseless fabrication calculated to call the credibility of the EC, the NPP and the whole electoral process into doubt; this we abhor," Nana Ohene Ntow stated.
Nana Ohene Ntow noted that had the NDC just gone on and called attention to any shortfall in the register, they would have succeeded in convincing everyone that their intentions were noble.
However, to fabricate a charge against the NPP, he said, simply betrayed their sinister agenda, and confirmed their earlier intentions to raise doubts over the results of the up-coming elections in the most likely event of NDC losing.
Nana Ohene Ntow debunked the NDC's accusation stressing that the NPP did not register voters neither did it has any will or capacity to rig any election and accused the NDC of forging a plot to prepare the minds of Ghanaians to question the results of the December polls if they lost Election 2008.
The NPP, therefore, appealed to the EC to be a credible referee throughout the electoral process, and urged the political parties, media and other democratic stakeholders to keep the kind of vigilance that would save the country from a "Kenya-style," political mayhem.
"We wish to appeal to you the media, the powerful fourth estate, to be vigilant as in your pens and computers lie the portent for the future. As politicians, we may occasionally stray into the kind of rhetoric that could inflame, but it is up to you to elucidate and inform without escalating tension, adding to fears and raising passion." Nana Ohene Ntow also appealed to other political parties to spread the message of peace and hope throughout the electioneering process.
He gave the assurance that the NPP was committed to presiding, as the ruling party, over peaceful, free, fair and credible elections, the results of which would be accepted by all.
