Why haven't you responded to Akata Pore's alarm on security of your IT system? - Kwesi Pratt questions EC

Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr has questioned the Electoral Commission and the Election Security Taskforce over what he observes to be a lack of attention to the digital threat posed to the credibility of Ghana’s elections.

Kwesi Pratt, on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, stated that while the security agencies and EC appear to be putting measures in place to deal with possible violence and rigging, they are acting blindly to the threat posed in the digital space.

He claimed that with Ghana’s last two elections suffering some elements of digital attacks, he is concerned with the supposed lack of attention.

Kwesi Pratt claimed that retired Ghanaian army officer and a founding member of the Provisional Defence Council (PNDC), Sergeant Daniel Alolga Akata Pore (retired), has petitioned the EC about the vulnerability of their IT systems to attacks, but the EC has been acting blindly to his concerns.

With just two days to the elections, Kwesi Pratt said that it is not too late for the EC to engage the services of experts to address the possible weaknesses in its IT system.

“The emergence and spread of fake news is itself a security threat to the nation. We have only a few days to the election, but we can do something about it. All the things that the Election Security Committee is announcing have to do with physical violence and threats at polling stations.

“What about cyber threats? We do know that in some of the elections, equipment of the EC was jammed. It is not just about physical security or the threat at polling stations. What about the damage which can be done in the space?" he asked.

The veteran journalist continued that “Over the last two months, Sergeant Daniel Alolga Akata Pore (rtd), who is now an IT expert, has been raising several issues about the security of the EC's IT system and there is no response. He’s actually written petitions to the EC and nothing has happened. He’s written to the Data Protection Agency and nothing has happened.”

Ghanaians will go to the polls on Saturday, December 7, 2024, to elect the 6th President of the Fourth Republic.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party and John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress are the frontrunners for the polls.



EK/AE