THE BIGGEST opposition party in the country, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its allies – the People National Convention (PNC) and the National Democratic Party (NDP), as well as pressure groups -Let My Vote Count Alliance, Movement For Change and Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG)-yesterday declared their readiness to take on the Electoral Commission (EC) over the current Voters Register.
The party organized a mammoth protest in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, to register their disapproval at the lackadaisical approach of the EC towards several recommendations and demands from the findings of the Justice VCRAC Crabbe Panel for the electoral body to conduct validation of the current register ahead of the November 7 elections.
People from all walks of life, including Kayayes, traders, teachers, nurses and students took time off their busy schedule to participate in the well-attended programme, which saw thousands of people parading the principal streets of the metropolis.
Wielding several placards with various inscriptions purposely sending messages to the President Mahama-led NDC administration and the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, the organizers said they would continue to embark on series of protests until the EC sees the wisdom in doing the right thing in the interest of Ghanaians.
Bringing business and vehicular movements to a standstill, the protesters careened through every constituency of the metropolis, walked several miles from their constituencies before converging at Abbey’s Park, Ash-Town, where they were addressed by the organisers and other party bigwigs.
Some of the inscriptions read – ‘No More Rigging, 8 years of Incompetence’, ‘EC Listen to Ghanaians’, ‘What we need is validated register’, ‘EC works for the NDC’, ‘Why is the EC refusing to validate the register’.
Others also read –‘Who is the Pastor of this wicked President Mahama’, ‘Where is Peace Council’, ‘Why Charlotte Osei, Why’, ‘Nurses, Teacher trainee allowances cancelled’ amongst others. The protesters are calling on the EC to abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court, as well as recommendations made by its own Committee, set up to engage in public consultations over the demand by the NPP for a new voters’ register.
NO IVORY COAST EXPERIENCE
The Ashanti Regional Chairman, Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, observed that if the relative peace and tranquility currently enjoyed by Ghanaians will be consolidated, much will depend on the attitude of the EC towards the upcoming elections.
According to him, the EC and its chairperson owe Ghanaians lots of responsibility in ensuring that free, transparent and credible elections, whose basis is a clean and unadulterated voters register.
He, therefore, cautioned that Ghanaians would never forgive the EC and President Mahama should anything happen, stressing that both personalities will equally be held liable should any mishap occur.
“We are praying for fairness and justice from the EC and the government of the day, our lives are in their hands and should anything happen, both President Mahama and Mrs. Charlotte Osei would have to answer for it,” he warned.
According to him, the least Ghanaians expect is the Ivory Coast experience, arguing that both President Mahama and the EC Chairperson would be summoned before the International Criminal Court(ICC) should a single blood be spilled.
“The EC knows the right thing to do so let them do it because as it stands now, they have not demonstrated enough to Ghanaians that they will give us free and fair elections. “I want to challenge everyone to stand and fight against this injustice by the EC,” Chairman Wontumi pointed out.
He noted that Ghanaians are yearning for change and that they are tired of the extreme hardship President Mahama and the NDC have subjected them to over the past eight years.
The National Youth Organizer of the party, Sammy Awuku, on his part, stated that there was no way Ghanaians would sit down unconcerned and allow the EC to play with their destiny. According to him, many Ghanaians, though are not physically sick, are going through extreme psychological trauma with parents struggling hard to take care of the basic needs of their children, because of harsh economic conditions.
The NPP National Youth Organizer, therefore, pointed out that the November 7 elections was very crucial because it will determine whether Ghanaians will see a change in their lives or will continue to live in abject poverty under the NDC. He said it was for this reason that the NPP and its allies were calling for a credible register that would ensure that elections were conducted in free and transparent manner.
HEAD PORTERS STEAL SHOW
The most attractive sight of the protest was the heavy presence of head porters, popularly known as ‘Kayeyes’, who took part in the march from the beginning to the end. Led by their leader, Adiza Zongo Pioneer, the porters carried their head pans, wailing, crying and calling on the flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo for salvation.
The leader of the group said they were very disappointed in the administration of President Mahama, who after several years of voting for them, had failed to better their lives. According to them, they were marching for change, expressing the optimism that such a change must start from the EC who must give Ghanaians a clean and transparent voters’ register for the November polls.
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP)
The spokesperson for the NDP, Ernest Owusu Bempah said the protest was to send strong signal to the EC and President Mahama of bigger things ahead, contending that Ghanaians would not allow themselves this time around, to be cheated by the NDC and the EC. “We will never take the law into our hands but we want to tell Mrs. Charlotte Osei and the NDC that we won’t allow ourselves to be intimidated but we will resist oppressors’ rule,” he warned.
AFAG
One of the leading members of the Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG), Dr. Ayew Afriyie, asked the EC to come clean on the relationship between it and Superlock Technology Limited (STL), an ICT firm, said to have collated results of the 2012 elections. The spokesperson of AFAG intimated that the EC cannot continue to hide under the umbrella of being an independent body whilst doing the bidding of the ruling party.
Source: Issah Alhassan || The Chronicle, Kumasi
