The Research Department of NPP UK & Ireland have come upon a massive and deep seated plot by the NDC to manipulate the Electoral Commission ahead of Election 2012. The execution plan is therefore to force the EC to avoid the IPAC meeting and begin to take decisions administratively on the blind side of the rest of the political parties. It is only by this new tactics that they can roll in their rigging plans.
Having failed to execute the grand plan hatched at the infamous NDC/EC Shai Hills meeting to frustrate the verification element in the biometric registration due to the vigilance of Ghanaians, information reaching us indicates that the NDC and their cronies in the EC have hatched a plan B. In this plan the NDC has prevailed on the EC to register not less than 1800 people per polling station in the densely populated urban areas. This will have an effect of causing long queues, voter apathy, voter frustration, quarrels etc. In the large expanse of rural Ghana, polling stations are already less than 600 so voting is quick and trouble-free. In La Cote D’ivoire and Nigeria the law stipulated a maximum polling station of 400 and 500 respectively. IPAC should insist on the CI-12 setting a meaningful and manageable figure of 700 and not leave NDC to dictate to the EC what it wants. The NDC have written to the EC and the latter have broadly capitulated to the demand, even though our insider tells us that the EC is deeply uncomfortable with this pressure and hence this arrangement.
The NDC have appointed Mr. Alfred Agbesi Wayome, the man they recently doled out GHC42million of our money in a fake court case, to lead this charge on their behalf. He has been awashed with large amount of cash to penetrate their contacts within the EC and Mr. Kanga has also been the main point of his contact. Mr. Agbesi Wayome has been put in charge of linking up with the EC on the plans for gerrymandering and constituency demarcation and he is spearheading this clandestine role.
At the present moment 70% of polling stations nationwide have less than 600 voters on the voters’ roll and in some cases as low as 20 voters. The 30% that have more voters are in Accra, Tema, Ashaiman, Kumasi, Sekondi/Takoradi and Tamale. With an average of 1000 voters per polling station already in these urban areas, the NDC is forcing the hand of the EC to increase it to 1800. This has only one purpose – to create long queues and frustrate voters. This plan is illegal and has not been agreed upon by IPAC and must therefore be resisted at all cost. It also against recommendation 28 of the EU Election Observation Mission 2008 which read as follows: "A maximum ceiling should be placed on the number of voters registered at an individual polling station to ensure regular voting pattern and less crowding." In line with CI 12 figure of 700 should be the maximum for all polling stations.
Another plan the NDC/EC group are putting in place is to register voters under the biometric system at Electoral area levels instead of registering them at the polling stations. The effect similar to the one above is to make sure that in the densely populated areas an Electoral area can have as much as about 3000 to 4000 people will be registering at a time. An Electoral area is made up of a number of polling stations and therefore where polling station numbers are high, the Electoral area numbers will be considerably higher, creating long queues and frustrate registration.
Having tried successfully this frustration plan at the last District Assembly elections with the piecemeal (tot- tot) approach which frustrated many voters and hence a low turnout, the NDC think they have a master plan to frustrate Election 2012.
We are therefore calling on the Electoral Commission to call an IPAC meeting as soon as practicable to discuss these disturbing issues. Mr David Kanga, our source informs us, is resisting the call for an IPAC meeting knowing that he has in principle accepted to roll out the plans of the NDC delivered to him through their emissary Alfred Wayome. The need to call for a fresh IPAC meeting is also necessitated by the plans of EC to order the new equipment for the biometric exercise to begin in the first quarter of 2012.
We are also calling on the EC to publish a detailed electoral calendar (for example electoral registration starting in the 1st quarter of 2012 is too vague and does not allow for adequate opportunities for ALL eligible registrants, including those who live abroad by extension, to be registered within a reasonable time, as recommended by the Carter Center. The EC should also finalise its regulations for citizens overseas to ensure they have access to the right to register and vote (EU EOM Recommendation 7)
Our source within the NDC has also informed us that the NDC have rolled out a 5-member committee in every region in Ghana with a budget of GHC100, 000 per region to plant stalking horses in certain constituencies as independent candidates. The constituencies, we have been told, are Okere and Akwatia in the Eastern Region, Assin South and North in the Central Region, Atwima Mponua, Ahafo-ano North and South in the Ashanti Region. These are not new and neither are those manipulations exactly rocket science. However what is worrying is the extent to which the NDC is prepared to use public purse to manipulate democracy to their advantage.
The EC have a chance here to redeem their credibility and stand up to the NDC and be independent minded as the Constitution stipulates. In a recent research undertaken by CAEMMI, a non-profit, independent international organisation committed to democracy and governance processes in Africa, between September and October this year revealed that 65 per cent of Election 2012 issues in the media were negative whereas only 35 per cent were positive. The EC’s image projection in the media is 61 per cent highly negative, while mistrust on the preparation of the EC in Election 2012 is 50 per cent with only 18 per cent trust, according to CAEMMI. The EC have to work on its principles of open democratic and social accountability.
The NDC know they have failed Ghanaians. Their Better Ghana Agenda never took off and are staring defeat square in the face. The Shai Hills communiqué of Election 2012 Win At All Cost Do or Die is making them suicidal and are resorting to all sorts of diabolical tactics. They are hell bent on rigging the election but we are prepared to match them at all cost, after all, ALL DIE BE DIE.
God Bless Our Homeland Ghana
Hayford Atta-Krufi On behalf of NPP UK & Ireland
