NDC MPs On Rampage

There was pandemonium at the Electoral Commission, headquarters in Accra yesterday when a fight ensued between the police and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislators who were walking from Parliament House to the Commission.

The group, led by the Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu and the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, were prevented from going beyond a barricade at the Ridge Roundabout.

The MPs determined to go to the EC’s office defied the orders of the police who said they were not aware of any walk by the Minority to the EC offices.

The scene was chaotic as the police were seen physically manhandling some of the MPs.

The Minority was finally prevented from going to the EC offices by the police after a lot of back and forth.

The party has been protesting the results of the December 7, elections claiming the EC did not conduct a free and fair election.

According to the NDC, its presidential candidate, John Mahama won the election but he was cheated thus their calls for auditing of the results.

Also, the party is alleging that some parliamentary seats it won have unjustifiably been handed to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Petition

They read out their petition and called out for the leader of the police officers to take their petition and give it to the EC Chair, Jean Mensa.

No one came forward and the MPs left as the situation became heated.

The 22-point petition among other things focused on mainly occurrences in the Techiman South Parliamentary Election.

It said that in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections conducted nationally on the 7^th of December 2020, the Returning Officer for Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region could not collate the results for both the Presidential and the Parliamentary candidates after the Polling Stations results had been counted and all Ballot Boxes sent to the Collation Centre in accordance with C.I. 127.

The petition stated that during discussion, there emerged serious differences between the Agents as to how to resolve the outstanding issues.

It alleged that the Regional Director of Elections together with his Deputy advised the way forward in resolving the controversy and that while the Agents were doing all they could, to resolve the issues, armed security officers in Police and Military uniform stormed the centre, drove off the Agents for the NDC candidate from the collation room and in the process brutalised one of them, leaving only the election officers and the NPP Agents in the room.

The MP’s petition also noted that in an attempt to ascertain what had happened to the agent, the aforesaid uniformed men opened fire indiscriminately, killing two persons on the spot, and injuring nine others, one of whom died a day after on admission

As a result, the portioners want the EC to cause to be collated the Techiman South Constituency Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Results from all the Two Hundred and Sixty-Six (266) Polling stations in accordance with the law, with immediate effect.

In addition, the group also seek that pursuant to regulation 43 (2) of C.I. 127, the endorsed writ, gazette notification and notice to Clerk of Parliament be amended accordingly to reflect the true state of affairs.

Boycott

The Minority MPs have said they will boycott the inauguration of President Akufo-Addo for a second term if a re-collation of the parliamentary results in Techiman South is not done.

Mr. Iddirisu told journalists that the declaration of the seat in favour of the NPP’s Martin Agyei Mensah Korsah is fraudulent and they will not allow it to stand.

“We are standing in denial by collusion of fraud by the Electoral Commission and the NPP. It is not acceptable, you know they are just joking with Techiman South, add it to their number and claim a false 137 which they don’t deserve their 136,” Mr. Iddrisu said.

Calm

Meanwhile, Former President John Mahama has urged aggrieved supporters of the party to be peaceful as they protest the results of 2020 presidential and parliamentary election announced by the EC.

“Elections can be emotive and the EC’s incompetent handling of the Dec 7 poll leaves a sour taste in the mouths of all patriotic citizens. It is important to hold the EC accountable to ensure that it purifies itself and rises again to be the leading electoral body on our continent, Africa.

“I still urge all who feel outraged by the EC’s conduct to manifest their displeasure in a manner that is peaceful,” Mahama said in a statement.