Interesting incidents at EC stakeholders forum

The stakeholders’ forum held by the Electoral Commission (EC) last week happened to be a fruitful exercise that succeeded in bringing out real issues for intensive debate with the aim to forging a path to national cohesion and progress.

The success of the forum notwithstanding, there were a few exceptional incidents that should be noted.

The first of these was the security arrangement for the programme which was described by patrons as being a little of an overkill.

Scores of policemen, some in riot control gear, were on duty at the inner and outer perimeters of the Alisa Hotel where the forum was held.

Strict security procedures

Access to the conference room where the programme was being held could only be reached after a series of security checks mounted by the national security apparatus.

Participants and media personnel were taken through an intense security appraisal as though the security men stationed there were to arrest ‘terrorists’ who had somehow threatened the security of the forum.

The stern expressions and the body language of the security officers manning the security post were enough indication of the level of security alertness that signalled the forum.

The scenario looked as though nationals from a “terrorist-infested” country were attempting to cross over into a country that had maximum security alert against terrorist entry.

No respecter of position

Rather interestingly, the zeal of the security personnel had even no regard for the organisers of the programme.

When the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, was about to enter the conference room, one of the security operatives asked her to step aside and wait as though she was an ordinary invitee.

But following prompting from a staff of the EC who was close by that she was the EC chairperson, there was an instant change of courtesies leading to a prompt processing of the EC boss.

Naturally, questions started popping up as to why the EC had decided to resort to a security system that seemed to be an overkill.

When answers were not forthcoming, wild guesses became the order of the day.

Fear of Let My Vote Count group?

However, one intelligent guess stood out and that was the fear of an interruption by the group, ‘Let My Vote Count’.

That group had made its stance on the call for a new voters register uncompromisingly clear and had embarked on a demonstration that had led to some brutalities at the hands of the police for which President John Mahama had asked the police to investigate.

After crossing the security post, participants and media persons had to go to the registration desk for registration before accessing the conference hall.

The Public Relations outfit of the EC was right on the mark when it stuck religiously to the number of media houses that had been invited and thus professionally cutting off some so-called journalists who throng official functions only to harass event organisers for honorarium (soli) after the event.

Inside the conference hall, one sight that brought up an instant discussion among participants and the media was the presence of the “suspended” Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Paul Afoko.

Afoko in control

Mr Afoko was present in his full commanding aura as the leader of the NPP’s delegation to the forum and was seen interacting pleasantly with his party officials and officials of other parties present.

His demeanour was far from that of someone who had been suspended by his party but rather interestingly, there were others in the party who were in the media denying that Mr Afoko was the leader of the NPP’s delegation to the forum.

One other incident that made observers raise their eyebrows was the sudden resurrection of some parties that had been dormant for several years.

The resurrection of moribund parties

The National Reform Party (NRP) and the EGLE Party which have become almost moribund suddenly surfaced to make their views heard.

When Dr David Pessey of the NRP took his turn to address the gathering, he nearly caused commotion by casting insinuations; a situation that attracted the displeasure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates.

He was finally called to order by the chairman of the panel,Justice VCRAC Crabbe.

But one individual who stole the show for the day was Madam Akua Donkor, the founder and leader of the Ghana Freedom Party(GFP), when she took her turn and in a departure from the norm, made her delivery in Akan to the applause of the gathering.

Despite the stringent entry procedure, all was not over. Participants had to queue for coupons for lunch.

Despite these events, the forum went on peacefully without any incident.