U-turn: EC reviewing limited media access to Ghana Election 2024 collation centres

The Electoral Commission (EC) has decided to review its directive on a limited media access to constituency and regional election results collation centres.

"Following the memo directing the Commission's staff at the District and Regional levels, to select media houses for accreditation to its collation centres was made public, the Commission has received numerous calls from a number of its Media Partners expressing concern about the quotas granted to Media Houses," a statement issued Wednesday morning by EC Deputy Chair in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey said.

It is based on this that the EC is reviewing the limited media access to election collation centres.

It said it was going to engage with the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) on the issue to arrive at an arrangement that is "both workable and acceptable."

It said the Commission was "keen on ensuring the highest level of transparency in its operations, hence the opening up of all its Constituency, Regional and National Collation Centres to the Media."

Attached below is a copy of a statement issued by Samuel Tettey, Deputy EC Chair in charge of Operations on the media accreditation issue

MEDIA ACCREDITATION TO COLLATION CENTRES

Since the memo directing the Commission's staff at the District and Regional levels, to select media houses for accreditation to its collation centres was made public, the Commission has received numerous calls from a number of its Media Partners expressing concern about the quotas granted to Media Houses.

As a listening Commission we are engaging with the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) on the issue and trust that we will arrive at an arrangement that is both workable and acceptable. The Commission is keen on ensuring the highest level of transparency in its operations, hence the opening up of all its Constituency, Regional and National Collation Centres to the Media.

In doing so, the Commission is mindful of the need to ensure an orderly and peaceful process at all the Collation Centres hence the quotas on the number of persons who can access the Collation Centres at any given time.

The Commission is confident that its engagement with the leadership of the GJA and GIBA will lead to acceptable outcomes.

Background

Related: 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 

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