A member of the New Patriotic Party’s communication team, Miracles Aboagye, has labelled political parties that are against regional collation centres as flippant and lazy.
The communicator was speaking in reaction to calls by a former Electoral Commission (EC) boss, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, for a reduction in the numbers of collation centres in the country during elections.
This, the former EC boss said, will curb election results manipulation in the various regions in Ghana.
Miracles also argued that a large number of collation centres rather promote transparency and aids in tracking party numbers to avoid manipulation.
Miracles Aboagye, speaking on a TV3 Newday panel, added that the large numbers of constituencies make it necessary for excess collation centres.
He added that it is also through this that political party representatives can know and endorse the numbers of voted that were recorded for them in each constituency in a particular region.
“At the regional level where you are looking at 33 constituencies in the Eastern Region, if the Akwapim North results come to Koforidua and you, the political party you are a serious political party, you should know that in Akwapim North, you got 30,000. So, at the regional level, all you are checking is whether the Akwapim North results that they are recording in Koforidua is 30,000. If it is not 30,000, then you can go and say can we go and look at the pink sheet.
“It is only non-serious political parties who have issues with this because the same primary data that comes to the constituency is the same data that is being put together then the aggregated figure is brought to the constituency level.
“… anybody that is a serious party and understands how this thing works will go for this because that’s the only way you can actually track whether your figures are being manipulated or not. Because by the time you get to Koforidua, you are holding your 20,000 and it’s been manipulated, you will know. …why is this a problem? …if you are a lazy political party, you will an issue with it,” he said.
2024 Elections: It is only non-serious political parties who have issues with the regional collation centers - Miracles Aboagye#TV3NewDaypic.twitter.com/eQ9gBouXwz
A member of the New Patriotic Party’s communication team, Miracles Aboagye