The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced it will not allow non-educated persons to represent it at polling stations as polling agents anymore. This new decision by the party is effective in 2020 during the general elections.
Flagbearer of NDC, John Dramani Mahama who announced the new development in Tamale said the party would no longer rely on a person’s commitment and long service to the party to make him or her polling station agents.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a three-day capacity building retreat for the party’s election directors organized by the national director of elections, Elvis Afriyie Ankra in Tamale, the former president indicated that, the party would this time around engage only people who understood electoral process, could monitor, collate results, able to fill pink sheets with accurate figures and transmit same to the party’s national election directorate.
Mahama also reminded the party members that the 2020 elections and its aftermath would determine the future of the NDC, therefore, the need to correct past mistakes.
He noted that the party would provide adequate resources to train and retrain persons that would serve as polling agents to ensure that they do a diligent job. He also advised polling agents not to be quick to leave polling stations when their parliamentary candidates did not win.
“Stay till the presidential results is over,” Mahama said.
EC
Touching on the Electoral Commission, Mahama said the NDC would continue to demand from the Commission updates on their activities towards the 2020 general elections. He stated that the NDC has nothing personal against any Commissioner at the EC but only demanding that, the EC do the right things.
The NDC, Mahama said wants to ensure that the EC provides a level playground, which would ensure transparency and fairness before, during and after the 2020 election process. He said their demand for EC to gazette the presidential elections polling stations results had not been met.
The NDC, former President Mahama said was also asking the electoral commission to give political parties details of its move to acquire a new IT system as well as details on what happened to their previous system. The NDC also wanted the EC to update the party on the procurement of verification machines and the new voter register.
Dictatorship
According to Mahama, Ghanaians are now ruled with dictatorship while under democracy. He backed his statement with the killing and attacks on journalists in recent times.
“Right thinking Ghanaians can no longer express their views on government policies because of fear of being attacked, journalists are being killed others attacked for no wrong done,” he said.
According to him, the fate of Ghana’s democracy is shaky under the NPP government led by President Akufo-Addo, something Mahama said should be a worry to the clergy and civil society organizations. The former president reminded the government that, its tactics to gang the media and the citizens cannot subvert the will of Ghanaians.
Creation of ministries
Mahama also described the creation of new ministries such as Sanitation, Aviation, Procurement, Business Development and ministers of state at the office of Vice president and senior minister among others as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Such ministries, he said would be scraped under his administration because there are legally mandated agencies to perform their duties.
2020 elections
On his part, the NDC National Director of Elections, Evils Afriyie Ankra said that the 2020 general election is a rescue mission for Ghanaians. Mr Afriyie said the country needs rescue from the “insensitive Akufo-Addo administration” and the only capable person is former president Mahama.
He admitted that the party made mistakes during the last elections but was quick to add that it had taken steps to correct them.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Jonas Biawurbi
