• Asiedu Nketia says the first to receive the report was the Commission
• He dismissed reports that the EC had directed the NDC to submit their proposals to IPAC
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed surprise at media reports that the Electoral Commission had directed them to submit electoral reform proposals to the Interparty Advisory Comittee, IPAC.
According to him, the EC was the first body the NDC presented its reform proposals to and that their communication was duly acknowleged.
Reports have emerged recently that the Jean Mensa-led body had directed the NDC to deal with IPAC relative to reform proposals it arrived at after a review of the 2020 elections.
“They (EC) are the first people we sent the reforms to. All the others are copies we are giving to other stakeholders. So, we have given it to EC and they have responded.
"I get surprised at times about some responses I am hearing in the media which are different from the response we received from the EC.
"Either the media is creating responses for the Commission or the Commission is writing to us, saying one thing and granting interviews saying a different thing,” Asiedu Nketia said on Joy FM.
He added: “They (EC) wrote to us. They acknowledged receipt of our reforms and thanked us and assured us they will be looking at those proposals. Then later we heard the media saying that the EC says NDC should send the reforms to IPAC," he wondered.
He explained further that there was technically no difference between the EC and IPAC, even though the NDC has refused to deal with the latter.
“If you want to differentiate the Electoral Commission from IPAC, what are you talking about? IPAC is a meeting that is called by Electoral Commission and they set the agenda.
"So it is a document that they are in possession of and having read it and determined that it is worthy of some discussion, then they will call a meeting and put it on the agenda.
“So there is no difference between sending proposals to IPAC and sending proposals to Electoral Commission,” Mr Nketia explained.
The NDC's flagbearer in the 2020 elections, John Dramani Mahama in commenting on the issue during his recent 'Thank You' tour in the northern regions, said reports of EC directing NDC to IPAC, was 'very absurd.'
Johnson Asiedu Nketia is General Secretary of the NDC