NDC warns Electoral Commission against manipulating 2024 elections

The NDC pledged to scrutinise and expose any efforts by the EC to compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

This warning follows the EC's acknowledgment of errors in the initial release of figures during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration Exercise. The EC has since corrected these errors and provided accurate regional figures.

Addressing journalists on Thursday, May 16, 2024, NDC General Secretary Fifi Kwetey described the mistakes as “utterly avoidable.”

“Simple arithmetic, accurately summing the figures from the 16 regions, would have shown the EC that their numbers were wrong. Such mistakes are entirely avoidable. Why should Ghana’s Electoral Commission be reduced to an ‘Error Commission’?” Kwetey questioned. “The EC must distance itself from any intentions of rigging. Any attempt to undermine the electoral process will be rigorously challenged and exposed.”

Kwetey also accused the EC of engaging in "transpositional rigging" by shuffling figures between categories without changing the overall total.

“On May 12, 2024, the Electoral Commission issued a press statement acknowledging errors in previously released figures and attempted corrections. They claimed the total number of registered voters over the four days remained unchanged. This exemplifies ‘transpositional rigging,’ where figures are shuffled without affecting the overall total. The EC's assertion that these regional errors did not impact the total count is misleading,” he asserted.

Kwetey issued a firm notice to the Jean Mensa-led EC, emphasising that the 2024 elections will not be business as usual.

“Today, we are issuing a firm notice to the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission: the 2024 elections will not be business as usual! Any attempt by the EC to violate CI 127, which governs the conduct of the general elections, will be met with resolute resistance from us. We will not stand idly by while the EC undermines the time-tested electoral processes respected by all stakeholders,” Kwetey declared.

He stressed the importance of handling electoral figures with the utmost seriousness to ensure no voter is disenfranchised due to careless errors.

“It is imperative that the EC approaches the handling of electoral figures with the utmost seriousness, as these numbers are fundamental to the integrity of the elections. No voter should be disenfranchised due to careless errors,” Kwetey said.