The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana recently filed a case with the Police calling for investigations into an allegation made by Former President John Dramani Mahama about the thumb printing 1 million votes by the Commission in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the 2020 Presidential elections. The largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) also declared its support for Electoral Commision’s call for investigations into matter since that is what they also wanted to be done.
However, Former President John Dramani Mahama does not seem to have confidence in the Police to handle the matter without being bias. In view of this, the Former President demanded an independent body or investigator to look into the matter. He made mention of the ECOWAS electoral body to take up the matter. Former President Mahama stated that he would be available to swear under oath and testify in the witness box.
Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Mr. Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako described the call made by the former president as a “complete waste of time and space”. Mr. Kwaku Baako made this statement while speaking to Mr. Kwame Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s morning show, Kokrokoo. Mr. Kwaku Baako explained that the 2020 general elections was described as free, fair and transparent by several International Election Observation Missions that were in the country during the 2020 general elections. The Head of the ECOWAS Observer Mission, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-SIrleaf even called all other African countries to emulate Ghana’s election conduct. The Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission. Mr. Javier Nart came out with the same findings as that of the ECOWAS Observer Mission.
Based on this, Mr. Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako stated that the ECOWAS electoral body which the former president wants to carry out the investigations would not say anything different from what was reported by its election observers. He stated that if Ghana’s Police cannot be trusted to do a thorough investigation because they [Police] report to the Executive, then the ECOWAS electoral body should be perceived to be biased because the body would not go contrary to what its observers has reported.
He added that former President John Mahama had the opportunity to prove his case when he petitioned the Supreme Court but was not able to do so. He further stated that the opportunity for Former President Mahama to have sworn under oath and vindicated his case during the election petition is “far gone with the winds”
Do you think the former president is stretching the matter too much? Would the EC have reported the case if indeed the claims of the former president were true? What would happen if the ECOWAS electoral body conducts the investigations and finds that the former president’s claims are true? Kindly leave all your comments below.
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