Ghana Election 2024: EC to deny newspapers, online portals access to election collation centres

Journalists from newspapers and online portals are to be denied access to Ghana's Election 2024 results collation centres at the constituency and regional levels. 

The Electoral Commission (EC) has decided to grant limited media accreditation that give access to only television and radio stations at the collation centres, excluding newspapers and online portals.

The commission had earlier asked for applications for media accreditation, which normally grant access for the coverage of the elections at all polling stations and collation centres.

However, with this new arrangement, the EC has decided to limit the accreditation to only television and radio stations when it comes to the collation centres.

In a memo dated November 25, 2024, addressed to all regional directors and seen by Graphic Online, it is only television and radio stations that are to be granted access to collation centres.

Even with that, it is only eight media houses that will be granted access per each constituency collation centre.

When it comes to the regional collation centres, it is only 12 media houses that will be granted access.

The memo, emanating from the office of the EC Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, addressed to the regional directors and copied to the Deputy Chairman in charge Corporate Affairs talks about accreditation for media houses.

"Ahead of Election Day on the 7th of December, this comes to request that you [regional directors] send us the names of credible media houses, i.e. radios and TV stations in your districts and regions," the memo stated.

"The purposes is to enable us provide them with accreditation which will allow them entry into the constituency collation centres and the regional collation centres..."

It goes ahead to explain that out of the eight media houses per each constituency collation centre, there should be three TV stations, two personal per station and five radio stations, one personnel per station.

For the regional collation centres, it states that out of the 12 media houses per each centre, there should be five TV stations, two personnel per station and seven radio stations, one personnel per station.

The memo does not mention newspapers and online portals and concludes by asking the regional directors to submit the names of media houses by close of day on Monday, November 24.

It adds that without the accredition, "no media personnel can enter our collation centres."

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh