Omane Boamah on how NDC identified infiltrators and removed them as party agents

The Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has said the NDC set up an outfit as part of the preparations for Election 2024 to detect and remove infiltrators from key roles, such as polling agents who had infiltrated the ranks of the NDC and had intentions to work against the party.

In an interview on Joy FM, Dr Omane Boamah detailed the steps taken by the NDC to strengthen its electoral process and disclosed that the research office, led by Professor Joshua Alabi, operated under cover as a legitimate entity that conducted surveys.

“The office contacted individuals who had been nominated as polling agents or collation officers, pretending to carry out research. They asked questions like, ‘Who are you going to vote for?’ Some of these calls were recorded,” Dr Boamah said.

This strategy, he explained, helped uncover individuals who did not align with the party’s objectives. “We identified infiltrators who openly declared their intention to vote for opposing candidates, even saying things like, ‘I’ll vote for number one.’ This allowed us to remove them from critical roles,” he noted.

The revelation follows the NDC’s significant adjustments to its election strategy, including merging the Election and IT directorates for improved coordination.

Dr Boamah also highlighted the rigorous training process undertaken to prepare polling agents.

According to him, 153,000 individuals were trained, but only 87,000 were selected after passing examinations that tested their skills in areas such as mathematics and election analysis.

“This was not just about attending training. Agents had to write exams, and those who failed were disqualified. There were no resets for marks below 40,” Dr Boamah explained.

He added that additional quality checks were instituted to ensure competence and loyalty.

“The measures we implemented were necessary to safeguard the party’s readiness and eliminate weaknesses in our ranks,” he added.