NDC files another election petition

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has filed an election petition – this time with the Inspector-General of Police – over alleged infractions by the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) in last year’s polls.

According to the legal team of the party, this is in direct response to the apparent challenge thrown by the EC over allegations made by John Dramani Mahama.

After Mr Mahama alleged that the EC had stuffed the ballot boxes with over one million votes to favour incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the EC called on police to investigate this claim.

“This is a grave matter that undermines the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored,” a Deputy Commissioner in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, told journalists at a press conference on Monday, October 25.

“We call on [John Dramani Mahama] to provide evidence to support this claim,” he demanded.

“This is not a matter that should be ignored and we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate.”

At a press briefing on Tuesday, November 9, member of NDC’s Legal Team Abraham Amaliba disclosed that “the party saw it fit to as it were present to the IGP the evidence that we have complained about that over one million presidential ballot papers were printed by the EC and that we thought that that affected the credibility of the elections”.

He said the largest opposition party wants the conduct of the EC to be brought to book.

The two-pronged petition, according Mr Amaliba, wants the IGP, Dr George Akuffo Dampare “to investigate and then prosecute persons who were involved in the printing of the over one million excess ballot papers”.

“These persons could also include Innolink, one of the companies that had the responsibility to print the ballot papers and whose care we saw the excess one million ballots.”

He said the second part is seeking an update on the “atrocities and violence” that took place in the elections.

“What has the police done so far? Have they prosecuted anybody? Have they opened any docket?”

source: 3news