The primary opposition parties, the People's National Convention (PNC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have demanded that the Electoral Commission (EC) look into the removal of one ballot paper that was defaced and meant for the Eastern Region.
A vote paper that had been vandalized and meant for the Eastern Region was discovered outside one of the printing companies that the EC had contracted with, prompting the NDC to request an investigation.
Concerns regarding the election process's integrity have been raised by this episode.
Therefore, upon identifying the leak, the EC ordered a recall and reprinting of ballots for both the Eastern and Western Regions.
Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Commission, made this announcement during an emergency news conference on Sunday, December 1, announcing the leak that caused the special voting that was originally scheduled for December 2, 2024, to take place on Friday, the 5th in those two regions to happen on Thursday, the 5th.
The Commission claims that when National Security notified them that one defaced paper had been removed from Checkpoint Printing Limited Printing House, this became required.
Even though the disfigured paper was supposed to be destroyed, it somehow made its way out of the company, which has been collaborating with the Commission since 1992.
The EC's decision to recall and reprint the ballots was supported by all major parties in the midst of this. NDC and PNC parties want the issue to be fully investigated and the offenders dealt with.
Dr. Omane Boamah, the Director of Elections for the NDC, is calling on the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) and other security agencies to look into the occurrence.
The scenario damages the general election's credibility, Dr. Boamah told Joy News shortly after the EC handled the incident.
He claimed that even if the EC has chosen to replace the impacted ballots, the risk "will never be completely eliminated." By saying, "In this case, we were not told whether the National Security or the Police arrested an individual or group of people and whether they are in custody," he also asked the EC regarding the arrest of those who broke the seals on the voting papers.
Thus, Dr. Boamah called on the nation's security forces, who guard the voting papers, to "promptly announce if they have arrested any culprits, and if so, who they are, immediately."
"We are saying that the public must be informed of the involvement by the National Security, National Investigation Bureau, Police, and CID," he emphasized.
Additionally, PNC National Chairman Samson Awingobit is demanding that the issue be looked thoroughly. According to him, deleting the documents is insufficient on its own; instead, an investigation should be started to find the guilty parties so that they can face punishment.