The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Wednesday boycotted the Jean Mensa led Electoral Commissions’ maiden Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting.
The NDC declined to attend the meeting which was chaired by the Deputy Chairperson of the Election Management Body, Samuel Tettey citing late invitation.
According to the NDC, it received the invitation to the meeting at 12:15 for a meeting which was to start at 1:00 pm
A letter inviting the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) including the largest opposition party, the NDC read in parts: “On behalf of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, I am pleased to invite you to Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Wednesday 22nd August 2018. The time is 1:00 pm. The venue is the IPAC room of the Electoral Commission.”
The purpose of the IPAC meeting was to “discuss the 2018 limited Registration Exercise and the Referendum.”
Defending the decision to boycott the meeting, the General Secretary of the NDC John Asiedu told Starr Today’s Atiewin Mbillah-Lawson: “the party was not properly invited to today’s IPAC [meeting] that’s why we were not able to attend.”
“How can the Electoral Commission, a so-called competent Electoral Commission…you remember the former commissioners were removed for incompetence and now they are replaced with very competent Electoral Commission and that commission members will give a notice of 45minutes for an IPAC meeting?
“And, will be inviting political parties to meetings through text messages less than 24 hours. So we have responded to them stating that unfortunately, we are unable to honour this invitation,” said Nketia.
Suspicion
Nketia further noted that the NDC suspects the EC of being in bed with the NPP to rig the 2020 polls.
“We are not in the position to know whether we are the only party that’s being treated like that. If we are the only party that’s being treated this way then it confirms our suspicion that the Electoral Commission does not intend to be a fair commission because we have reason to believe that the NPP was well informed ahead of this day to prepare.
“And, if the EC is going to be in cahoot with the ruling party to be treating us like this, I think we cannot be part of this,” he stated.
He said the NDC will not be bound by any decision that will come out from Wednesday’s meeting.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
