2020 Polls: I foresee chaos – Mahama

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama has said the actions and inactions of the Jean Mensa led EC administration on the new voters’ register would amount to chaos in the aftermath of the upcoming polls. 

He explained at a press conference at the party headquarters in Accra on Thursday, September 24 that the Electoral Commission has carried itself in a way that does not engender confidence among some political parties, ahead of the elections.

According to him, one of the ways to address the situation is foreign observers doing well to be in the country much earlier than they typically would be to engage the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders with the view of resolving the challenges that have confronted the country’s electoral process.

“I wish to appeal to the international community, international election observers and our domestic observers; given all that has gone amiss with the electoral process and the likelihood of continued greater challenges ahead of this year’s elections, I will want to urge them to focus their lenses on Ghana and arrive earlier in the country than ever before. This will enable them to engage the EC, IPAC and all stakeholders as part of efforts to resolve these major problems with the register,” he said.

He stressed “My brothers and sisters, it matters very little with the situation confronting us is a product of incompetence, or malies or both. Our demands are same regardless, when you see fairness, transparency and integrity in the process leading up to the elections including in this exhibition exercise. We expect that when such issues are raised, the EC will take the responsibility and act in good faith to resolve the matter. We in the NDC have exhibited retreats in our electoral process, even now we are committed to doing so but let me serve notice once again, that we will not accept the results of a flawed election.

“We will certainly not look on, neither will we ignore our civic responsibility and allow the EC whether by ill-intent or sheer incompetence to incept the people mandate in the December 7 poll. The electoral commission must take immediate step to rectify and sanitize the register and re-exhibit it to afford the voting public and allow all stakeholders an opportunity to rectify their particulars in the voters’ register before it is finalised.”