The Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for excluding political party agents from the ongoing vote transfer exercise.
The EC instructed its directors not to allow agents of political parties to observe the ongoing vote transfer exercise.
This directive takes effect today, June 3, 2024.
In a memo addressed to the regional directors, the EC explained that this decision follows several clashes at its district offices caused by the exercise.
READ ALSO: EC Bans Party Agents From Observing Vote Transfer Exercise
However, Dr Boamah described the EC’s directive as illegal. He argued that the EC’s unilateral decision should have been made in consultation with political parties.
“There is an IPAC meeting today this morning, and what was the brain wave that made the EC issue that statement without coming back to IPAC for us to discuss that we need to modify it and we either agree or disagree or have a middle ground and modify but you take a unilateral decision to go ahead and announce that political parties cannot have agents to monitor the transfer of vote? They should quote the law that supports that.,” he said on Citi FM.
Dr Boamah further called on relevant authorities to enforce security measures ahead of other electoral processes to prevent violence, such as the Kasoa incident that left four injured over the weekend.
“The year 2020 presidential election, eight people were killed. One was killed, but nothing happened. Two were killed, but nothing happened. Three killed, but nothing happened, Four killed, nothing happened, Five killed, nothing happened, Six killed, nothing happened, seven killed, nothing happened. Eight killed. We are here in 2024, and these avoidable occurrences are still being recorded. We must do better, and we can do better.”
Violent clashes at some district offices have marred the ongoing vote transfer exercise.
In one such case, Ato Koomsom, son of Awutu Senya East MP Hawa Koomson, was reportedly stabbed following a confrontation near the EC’s office in Kasoa.
He is currently in critical condition at the 37 Military Hospital.
Eyewitnesses report that the altercation began when supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) clashed over the order of residents in the queue for the ongoing voter ID card transfer and replacement exercise.
Both parties typically reserve spots in the queue with chairs, but a disagreement over one particular chair escalated the situation.
Mr. Koomson arrived at the scene about 45 minutes into the altercation and attempted to mediate by speaking with the NDC organizer.
However, an alleged NDC supporter verbally abused him, and during the heated exchange, the individual pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr. Koomson in the chest.
King Adawu, an NPP member, also sustained a minor injury while trying to intervene. He was treated and discharged, while Mr. Koomson remains hospitalized.