EC blamed for voter apathy

The Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Institute of Local Government Studies, Eric Oduro Osae, has blamed the Electoral Commission (EC) for the dwindling voter interest in the country’s electoral system.

Mr. Oduro Osae said this during a presentation on the topic, “The 2014 District Level Elections of Ghana: How prepared are we as a nation?” at the inauguration of the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) in Accra on Thursday.

The dean observed that unresolved challenges from one local level election to the other continued to undermine the credibility, turnout, participation and involvement of the average Ghanaian in such local elections.

He said one would have thought that some 20 years down the line, Ghana would have improved in its local government administration, but claimed it has never been the case.

Mr. Oduro Osae was worried that as Ghana goes into another local government level elections – which are a prelude to 2016 elections – the question of the nation’s preparedness had risen again, noting that the EC was undecided with a definite timetable for the all-important political exercise.

He emphasised that the conduct of the EC was creating political tension and advised that it (EC) should learn from the outcome of the 2010 local government elections, the Supreme Court ruling on the presidential election petition last year and the attendant proposals for electoral reforms.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Affotey Agbo, was happy that a new advocacy group was being born, but called for fair play and good leadership direction on critical issues that would propel the country to a higher level.

The Deputy Local Government Minister, Nii Lantey Vanderpuiye, urged the team players in CLGA to create a platform that would engage Ghanaians in debates on effective local governance, capacity building, research and promotion of gender-based issues.

Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, who also performed the launching of CLGA Newsletter on behalf of the Minister of Local Government, Julius Debrah, urged the Institute of Local Government Studies and other institutions of higher learning to introduce short courses on Stress Management and Temperament Control for persons placed in management positions.

The MCE for Adentan, Benjamin Angenu, urged CLGA to serve as a watchdog in the people’s interest and contribute to national development.

The Executive Director of CLGA, Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso, said CLGA is a non-governmental, non-profit organization set up to offer a platform for research, training, agenda setting and advocacy.