LMVCA endorses EC’s decision to engage lawyers

Pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) group, the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), has endorsed the decision of the Electoral Commission to engage members of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAG) as collation and returning officers in the forthcoming elections.

Charlotte Osei, the chairperson of the Commission last week Tuesday, announced that the Commission will employ the services of members of the GBA and ICAG at the Constituency level as collation and returning officers in the December 7 elections.

This, she argued will ensure the results of the elections are accepted by all. But the National Democratic Congress, through its Director of elections, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo says it is not comfortable with the idea of engaging these professional, contending that they are not apolitical.

Speaking on TV3’s Eye on the Seat on Sunday, Mr. Ampofo thus pledged to raise his party’s objections to the move at the next Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting, saying “We believe that there are lawyers who are neutral and there are those who have identified themselves with political parties.”

But according to LMVCA’s convener, David Asante, the move by the EC is a brilliant one which will make the electoral process transparent and credible.

Nonetheless, he urged the commission to open up the process of recruitment to allay the fears of the NDC.

“We think this is a brilliant initiative and we commend the Electoral Commission highly,” said Mr. Asante in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.

LMVCA, he added will not “only praise the Electoral Commission for doing this but we’ll also encourage the commission to implement a system of greater transparency” for the recruitment process of people with integrity.

He urged the EC to extend what he described as brilliant idea to all the 29,000 polling stations on the day of elections.

“We think the principle is laudable and we commend the Electoral Commission highly on this particular decision,” he said.