Don’t stampede EC — Mrs Osei
The Electoral Commission (EC) will not be stampeded by any political party or politician into taking any action that is not in the interest of the nation, the Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, has said.
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“We will continue to take decisions in the supreme and best interest of the nation on election issues and that the electoral body, under my tenure, will not dance to the tune of any political party or do any politician’s bidding, as far as elections are concerned,” she declared.
Mrs Osei gave the assurance after a meeting the EC had with the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) and the immediate past Commissioner of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) of Nigeria, Professor Attahiru Jega.
The meeting was organised at the instance of the Kofi Annan Foundation in Accra.
Answering questions from the media on whether the EC felt pressurised in its actions, she declared, ‘’The law gives us independence and we are not to buckle under political or any other pressure.’’
Background
The EC has already taken a decision to audit the national voters register for the 2016 elections.
This has engendered mixed reactions from various political parties, particularly the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
While the NDC and some of the parties support the decision, others, led by the NPP, have described the decision as shameful.
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The EC rejected the call by the NPP and other political activists for a new voters register and opted for the auditing and cleaning of the register for Election 2016.
The independent panel set up by the commission to look into the concerns of the NPP and views of stakeholders on the register also found the arguments for a new electoral roll unconvincing and, therefore, did not recommend its replacement.
EC’s response
But in the view of Mrs Osei, political parties would always want to have their way and demand that decisions taken were always in their interest.
She, however, insisted that as far the independence of the EC was concerned, the EC would not be intimidated or buckle under any pressure, adding that she would not allow the independence of the EC to be toyed with by any political party.
The EC boss said an electoral management board should never, under any circumstance, be stampeded into taking decisions that would favour one party against others or vice versa.
She also said people would try to pressurise the EC, but the electoral body would stand its ground and do what was right.
Mrs Osei stated that the EC welcomed inclusiveness in the sense that the commission needed to listen to the views of all stakeholders and examine and accept them if it could, but it would always do what was right and legal, adding “that is why the law gives you independence.”
NPP’s reaction
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the acting General Secretary of NPP, Mr John Boadu, said the party received a letter from the EC during the holidays and that the NPP’s electoral reform committee would soon meet to examine the contents of the letter and make its position known to the EC and the supporters of the party, as well as the general public.
NDC reacts
However, the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Koku Anyidoho, said the party and other political groupings had been vindicated by the Eminent Panel and EC’s decision to audit the register.
‘’It could have been a fruitless and waste of EC resources to pander to the whims of a minority section of the society or a group of persons whose immediate desire is to win power at all cost.
CPP reaction
The Convention People’s Party (CPP), which initially expounded the need for a new voters register, stated that it was unclear now why the panel decided to recommend to the EC that there was no need for a new voters register.
The National Chairman of the party, Professor Edmund Delle, therefore, underscored the need for the Political Affairs Committee of the party to immediately commence a study of the final report from the independent panel.
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UPP reacts
The United Progressive Party (UPP), however, says that it fully endorses the decision and position taken by the EC.
A statement signed by the General Secretary of the party, Mr Razak Kojo Opoku, stated that the party first supported the call for new voters register but had changed its position.