Disagreement over food nearly disrupts special voting at Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro

The special voting process that started smoothly on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, at Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro in the Greater Accra Region was almost disrupted due to a misunderstanding over food.

According to a Citi News report, confusion broke out at the main polling station for the special voting in the area when supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) clashed with suspected New Patriotic Party (NPP) members within the voting centre who had been distributing food to party agents.

The NDC supporters refused to allow the suspected NPP supporters to distribute the food over fears that may influence party agents and election officials who may also receive the food.

Parliamentary candidate of the NPP for the constituency, Sylvester Tetteh, told Citi News that the NDC supporters were agitated over a non-issue.

“We have breakfast, lunch, and snack for our agents. Because it is a special voting day, some executives were lending support to our agents there and some of them were also observing the process for the first time. So when you are taking breakfast to your people obviously you will not take for two or four people.

“Our agents are allowed to be fed at the premises. I have seen instances where you take a drink to the polling centre, an NDC agent will take it. It does not influence the vote,” Citi News quoted him in a report.

The NDC supporters, on the other hand, say the distribution of the food items could pose a major problem during the main elections on December 7, 2020.

NDC parliamentary candidate for the area, Alexander Ackuaku, urged the Electoral Commission to take steps to prevent a recurrence of the confusion.

“We need to stamp our authority. It should not be left in the hands of the opposition to be challenging some of these things. It is not the best. People should be bold enough and let people know that the peace of this nation is paramount enough. We should not entertain some of these things. It is not the best,” he stressed.

A total of 109,577 persons are expected to vote in the special voting exercise for media personnel, EC officials, and other groups of people who may not be able to cast their ballots on December 7.

The EC has said it expects a 100% turnout of voters during the special voting exercise.