NDC gives details on why Sene West ballot box is currently locked up at the police station
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The former Member of Parliament for Akwatia Constituency, Baba Jamal, has revealed a ballot box from Sene West is currently locked up at the Techiman Police Station after one Christian Nukpeta alleged to be a member of the NPP snatched the ballot box while the election results were being counted.
Read full articleBaba Jamal narrated that, even though Christian Nukpeta was arrested immediately, members of the NDC at the polling centre noticed that the seal of the ballot box belonging to the NPP had been removed leaving that of the Electoral Commission and NDC intact.
Speaking in an interview on Okay FM, the NDC MP said although the ballot snatcher is currently serving 3-month sentence and a fine of GH¢3,600 or in default, serve an additional six-month imprisonment term, the stolen ballot box was still at the police station.
“Voting had ended at Sene West, and it was left with just one polling station. I’m not too sure of the name of the polling station. They were done counting the presidential results and NDC got over three hundred and NPP had over a hundred votes. Then all of a sudden, somebody comes to snatch (the) ballot box for the parliamentary elections. After he snatched the box, he tried running away with it but he was chased and arrested…”
He narrated adding that, “…The ballot box was collected from him immediately and we noticed that the NPP seal on the ballot box had been torn leaving that of the NDC and that of the Electoral Commission. Interestingly, the person who snatched the ballot box is an NPP executive at the same polling station he snatched the box from. He has been jailed for 3 months as we speak. So right now an NPP member stole the ballot box and only the seal of NPP has been removed.”
Mr Jamal further asserted that although the Electoral Commission were to decide whether or not they could count the ballot paper, the NPP quickly requested an injunction from the court stating they do not understand why the ballot paper from the ballot box will be added to the results.
“After this incident, the NPP immediately rushed to court to seek an injunction stating that they do not understand that the ballot box will be added to the results; this means we had to stop everything. As I speak to you, the ballot box is currently at the Techiman Police Headquarters…The issue needs to be taken up by the EC because the EC has not completed its job. They must decide whether they will count or not. This shouldn’t have been a court matter because the EC could have just taken a discussion,” he added.
The Sene West parliamentary election is the only place which the EC is yet to finalize and declare its outcome.
The EC has assured the general public it is working towards finalizing the issues for a credible and peaceful outcome within the shortest possible time.
