EC calls on police to investigate Mahama over rigging claims

The Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) has called on former President John Dramani Mahama to provide evidence of claims that about one million ballots were stuffed into boxes across the country during the December 7, 2020 elections.

The Commission said the statements by Mr Mahama, who stood for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the elections, are “untrue”.

“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.”

During the third phase of his Thank You tour, the former President told some chiefs in the Oti Region on Thursday, October 14 that the Chair of the Commission, Jean Adukwei Mensa, had deliberately stuffed the ballot boxes with over one million votes to favour the incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“Tell me, which election in Ghana was ballot papers printed yet one million ballot papers were found elsewhere.

“We didn’t witness this under Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan [but] she knew there was ballot stuffing.”

But the Commission fears these unfounded allegations could undermine the confidence the people of Ghana have in the Electoral Commission, Ghana.

To the EC, “ballot stuffing cannot be done”.

“It is just impossible.

“We call on the former president in the interest of our democracy to provide evidence of the stuffing of the ballot papers by the EC and its officials.

“The police should investigate this as a matter of urgency due to its potential to derail and undermine our democracy and lead to a lack of confidence in our system and processes.”