IPAC meetings have become 'useless' - Asiedu Nketia

General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has described the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting under the current Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission (EC) as "useless".

To him, IPAC is now irrelevant and has lost its essence, thanks to two personalities; the EC Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, Dr Eric Bossman Asare.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as popularly called justified the NDC's decision not to partake in any IPAC meeting, since the forum has turned into an event to pass on information to political parties.

“We did not attend the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting; there was no need for us to attend that meeting. The purpose for setting up the IPAC has changed under the new Electoral Commission (EC) and so it has become useless to attend its meetings.

“IPAC was designed for us to meet to discuss issues relating to elections; thus, if it is about a law, we will all meet the Electoral Commission to deliberate on it and come up with one voice about the law so that all the stakeholders will be satisfied with the electoral process. Since Bossman and Jean Mensa took over the leadership of the Electoral Commission (EC), they have made changes at IPAC meetings and they now call meetings just to pass information to us and not to discuss issues; and so our opinions and experience do not matter to them”, he bemoaned.

Buttressing his point, the NDC Chief Scribe pointed out despite their failure to be present at the meeting, the opposition party has been appraised of every detailed information the EC made known to the political parties.

“After all, whatever decision taken at the meeting is in the public and those of us who did not attend are aware of it. So, if we had something to do yesterday and it was just information the EC was passing to us, we still have heard what decision taken by the EC as we did not attend the meeting.

“...Nothing shows that when the EC brought up the issues, any of the political parties’ opinions was accepted by the EC. So, whether you are present or not, the IPAC meeting is not important and that is the reason why we did not attend," he justified.