Last week, thousands of disgruntled Ghanaians took to the streets of Kumasi in the Ashanti region to register their displeasure at the decision of the EC to compile a new voters roll.
The protest led by executives of the Interparty Resistance Against the Compilation of a New Voters’ Register was themed ‘Yenpini’, to wit, we won’t agree, has been condemned by Co-Chairperson of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO).
Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, speaking in an interview with www.ghanaweb.com averred that the choice of the theme ‘Yenpini’ was divisive since it sought to portray that they had an entrenched position no matter the result of the consultations.
He noted that the mandate of the Electoral Commission as an independent election body needs to be recognised by all parties involved in the consultations.
“…when they say, ‘Yenpini’ or we will not agree, that expression itself lends itself for perpetual contestations. What it means is that, you start on the note that you don’t accept the mandate of the EC.
So I said, rather than use such expressions, we should have used a different expression that will mean that even though we don’t agree, we recognise the mandate of the EC, then we continue with the dialogue.”
“But if you say you don’t recognise the mandate, it means the dialogue cannot continue,” he explained.
The ‘Yenpini’ demonstrations which was fronted by several leading members of opposition NDC and other parties including Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Asiedu Nketia, Sammy Gyamfi, Hassan Ayariga, Bernard Mornah among others, brought activities to a standstill in the Ashanti regional capital.
Former president and flagbearer of the NDC has also been accused by the NPP of financing the protests; claims the NDC Communications officer described as laughable without denying it.
