GhArticles.com Every News in Detail
President-elect John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) to uphold fairness, consistency, and integrity in its decisions, particularly concerning disputed parliamentary results.
Mahama’s remarks came in response to the EC’s recent announcement that it would not uphold the declarations of parliamentary results in nine constituencies, citing claims that some of the results were declared under duress. The affected constituencies include Ablekuma North, Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Techiman South, and Dome-Kwabenya.
Addressing African ambassadors and high commissioners on Friday, December 20, Mahama criticized what he described as the EC’s selective application of rules. He cited the handling of the Techiman South constituency during the 2020 general elections, where the EC declared results despite reported irregularities and objections.
Mahama questioned the EC’s decision to suspend the re-collation of results in the nine constituencies, attributing it to procedural breaches and threats to its staff. According to him, such inconsistencies undermine public trust in the EC and jeopardize the credibility of Ghana’s electoral process.
“The few outstanding issues arising from the elections where nine constituencies are in dispute show that the EC should act in a principled manner,” Mahama said. “You cannot change the rules when it suits you and apply different rules when different circumstances exist.”
He further emphasized that in similar instances, such as the Techiman South constituency in 2020, the EC refused to re-collate results, arguing that any grievances should be addressed through the courts.
Mahama urged the EC to engage all political stakeholders and ensure that justice is both done and seen to be done. He called for robust mechanisms to safeguard Ghana’s democratic institutions and to inspire confidence among citizens and the international community.
He concluded by reiterating that fairness and transparency are essential for the credibility of the electoral process, stating, “We don’t think the goalpost should be shifted depending on who is at the other end of the stick. There must be fairness and justice in everything we do.”
