The Parliamentary Caucus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday were unable to present its petition to the Electoral Commission’s Chairperson, Mrs Jean Mensa in Accra.
The group, which embarked on a peaceful march from the Parliament House got stopped by heavy Police presence at Ridge Roundabout and Ridge Hospital, but with persistence they sailed through.
The Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) were able to pull through the last barricade very close to the EC premises to present their petition, when it became apparent that the security would not allow them entry, they group decided to stay behind the barricade for an official of EC to come for the petition.
The MPs were there to present a five-page petition to the Chairperson of the EC to demand the collation of the Techiman South Constituency Presidential and Parliamentary elections results from all the 266 Polling Stations in accordance with the law.
After waiting for about an hour and no official from the Commission came to receive the petition, they were compelled to read the petition to the media.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader who read the petition openly in the presence of the security, the media and onlookers, explained that the EC in the Techiman South Constituency failed to heed to the laws governing the electoral process.
He claimed that the Returning Officer was by law required to collate results from all polling stations in the Constituency at the end of the polls at the agreed Constituency Collation Centre before declaration of same.
“Pursuant to Regulations 2, 3, and 43 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, Constitutional Instrument 127; it is mandatory that all results from all polling stations in the constituency at the end of the polls, are collated at the Constituency Collation Centre before declaration of same.
“We are reliably informed by the NDC Parliamentary Candidate that, no collation of the results from the various polling stations has taken place since the elections ended at the close of polls on December 7, 2020.
“Yet a declaration purported to have been made by the Electoral Commission in favour of the NPP Candidate is now public information. This omission amounts to a blatant breach of the provisions of C.I. 127 governing the conduct of the 2020 General Elections,” the Minority Leader said.
Mr Iddrisu further explained that the Returning Officer by law was also required to use FORM ONE C per C.I. 127, to collate the results of the Parliamentary Election from the various polling stations and capture the results in the Parliamentary Election Results Summary Sheet, FORM ONE D of the Schedule while Regulation 43(1)(f) demanded that He/She furnished each candidate or representative or counting agent of the candidate, a completed and signed copy of the Parliamentary Election Results Summary Sheets as set out in FORM ONE D of the schedule.
“As at the time of this petition, no such copy of the Parliamentary or Presidential Results Sheets had been furnished the NDC Candidates, or their representatives or counting agents,” the Minority claimed.
“By this petition, we demand that you cause to be collated the Techiman South Constituency Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Results from all the 266 Polling stations in accordance with the law, with immediate effect.
“That pursuant to regulation 43 (2) of C.I. 127, the endorsed writ, gazette notification and notice to Clerk of Parliament be amended accordingly to reflect the true state of affairs,” he added.
Mr Iddrisu said the NDC Caucus of the current Parliament therefore supported the Party’s flagbearer Mr John Dramani Mahama and the National Executive Committee of the NDC decisions to reject results of the Presidential Elections.
The NDC and its flagbearer in the 2020 elections Mr Mahama have continuously rejected the results of the Presidential and some Parliamentary elections results as declared by the Electoral Commission, citing electoral irregularities as the reason for its rejection of the results.
Source: GNA