The former senior military officer who planned the coup d’etat of June 4, 1979 that brought Flt.Lt. JJ Rawlings and other junior officers to power, Major Kwadwo Boakye-Djan has started beating war drums over the Electoral Commission’s (EC) intention to compile new voters register barely 7 months to the December 7 general elections.
His comment follows the statement by the Electoral Commission that, it will go ahead and compile a new voters’ register for the upcoming polls and that no individual or authority can direct or control them to do the contrary.
“All stakeholders are hereby reminded that plans are far advanced for the compilation of a new Voters Register with a new Voter Management System for the upcoming 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. The Commission is, however, sensitive to the current state of affairs due to the COVID 19 pandemic, and will abide by the necessary precautions and safety Protocols in the execution of its mandate when it deems it appropriate to begin the compilation of the register”, the EC said in a press statement.
But according to Maj. Boakye-Gyan, the attitude adopted by the election management body smacks of an attempt to rig the election for the ruling government even before the poll is conducted and that only a civil war can push some sense into the heads of the managers of the electoral roll.
Speaking in an interview with Okay FM monitored by MyNewsGh.com on Tuesday morning, the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for the Jaman South Constituency said the fact that the current government changed and replaced the former chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei and is seeking to also change the voters register that gave them the highest margin of votes indicates that, they don’t have confidence in their winning figures.
“The sacking of the former EC boss was politically motivated and political motivation in this case is to beef up the numbers so that they can win, because they don’t have confidence in their winning numbers, otherwise they wouldn’t tamper with the register; but more importantly, I don’t know how old you were in the 60s, but I’m telling you confidently that, in post-independence Africa, all crisis and civil wars had happened on the back of disputed elections and where they are going now, they are walking us into civil war and if they want it, they will get it, quote me”, he told Kwame Nkrumah Tikese.
Asked how the compilation of a new register could result in a civil war, Major Boakye-Djan said the EC’s plan is “absolutely unnecessary”; “they have no right to postpone the elections but that they want to compile a new register is absolutely misconceived, because on record, this government has been elected with a register with the biggest margin in Ghana’s electoral history, so what has gone wrong, except that you want to rig the elections”, he said.
The EC however noted in its statement that, “as stated Article 46 of the 1992 Constitution, the EC would like to reiterate that it shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority in the performance of its functions, except as provided for in the Constitution or any other law consistent with it”.
“The general public is being cautioned to disregard any fictitious election timetable and other letters circulating on social media purporting to have emanated from the Commission. The Commission wishes to call on all well-meaning Ghanaians to cooperate with it for the success of the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections”, the statement added.
Source:MyNewsGh.com/Teddy Brown ONIMBEDE/2020
