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The opposition New Patriotic Party has warned that it will resist any attempt at rigging the upcoming general elections, to ensure that the true will of suffering Ghanaians, who are determined for change, is safeguarded.

According to the party, it will do all it can to ensure that the December 7 election is not rigged, and is therefore encouraging the electorate to play their part by voting massively for change while supporting all efforts at ensuring free and fair contest.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, Acting General Secretary, John Boadu, said the party’s determination to ensure fairness and transparency at every stage of the electoral process would not be compromised for anything.

“We have always been consistent in our determination in ensuring that the nation always goes through a transparent and fair electoral process that delivers credible elections, whose outcomes are acceptable by all interested parties. This is a determination that will never be compromised for consideration, and more so we seek to ensure that the true will of suffering Ghanaians, who are determined to see a change in government, is not compromised through any dubious means. We will not allow 2016 elections to be rigged!” Mr Boadu stated.

He disclosed that the NPP was being carefully guided by the events of the 2012 elections, “as they were showcased to the shock of discerning Ghanaians during the Presidential Election Petition trial as the Supreme Court.”

The Acting NPP General Secretary added: “We are particularly being guided by the declaration by the Supreme Court that once election results are declared at the polling station, under any circumstances, there is practically nothing that can be done about it. It must therefore be the case that the results declared at the polling station are the same results collated at the constituency level and sent to the National Collation Centre to declare the next president-elect.”

He added that was the rationale behind the concerns raised by the party in respect of the Electoral Commission’s radical departure from the kind of electronic transmission of results proposed by the Electoral Reforms Committee and agreed upon by all stakeholders.

The NPP corrected what it calls “a certain erroneous impression being created and disingenuously amplified” by the NDC about its position on the issue of electronic transmission of results of the December 7 general elections.

“We do not deny the fact that all stakeholders agreed on the need to introduce some kind of electronic system into the transmission of results of the upcoming elections. It must be noted that previously, the Returning Officer for the presidential election, the chairperson of the EC, had merely relied on faxed copies of the constituency summary sheet, to add up and declare the winner of the contest. We found this no longer acceptable. In fact, as rightly acknowledged by the NDC General Secretary, that innovative idea was mooted by the NPP, just as we are credited for mooting several new, innovative ideas not only to improve our electoral system, but also to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of our people, as evidenced in the introduction of NHIS, Capitation Grant, Free Maternal Care, discovery of oil, among others,” Mr Boadu stated.

The NPP is, however, worried about the fact that what the EC is seeking to do now is a radical departure from what was agreed upon based on consensus.

“This was indeed acknowledged by the EC itself in its statement reacting to the concerns raised by our Campaign Manager, as the commission rightly captured what was agreed upon as follows: ‘It is recommended that hand-held scanners should be used to scan constituency collation forms that contain the polling station results and sent electronically and directly to the National Collation Centre. The hard copies would be sent physically to the Head Office of the EC,” the NPP added.

The party insists that what the EC plans to do now, ie electronic transmission of the results from the polling stations, “is radically different from what was proposed by the Electoral Reforms Committee and agreed upon with the political parties and other stakeholders and the EC.”

Meanwhile, the EC now says the proposed electronic transmission of results will only be done from the constituency collation centres and not from the polling stations. “Nobody has said he was going to transmit results electronically from the 29,000 polling stations,” Eric Kofi Dzakpasu said yesterday in a radio interview.

What the commission is saying is, however, different from what was contained in its Expression of Interest advertisement inviting companies to bid for the contract.

Portions of the EC’s Expression of Interest read: “The Electoral Commission of Ghana intends to use ICT to run in parallel with its existing system of transmitting election results. Accordingly, the Commission invites eligible firms to express their interest in the provision of the following services: Supply, installation and support appropriate ICT products and logistics for direct capture of polling station election results at about 29,000 polling stations; Supply, installation and support appropriate ICT products and logistics for real time direct transmission of presidential and parliamentary polling station election results to Constituency Collation Centres.”

The NPP states its concern: “Clearly, the EC, on its own, without consulting IPAC, has gone ahead to extend e-transmission to all 29,000 polling stations. It would have been irresponsible on our part not to raise concern over this departure. This, in no way, should give any discerning person any grounds to make claims that the NPP ‘has gained notoriety’ for turning round to oppose decisions collectively taken by all stakeholders. If the NDC was part of this decision we were not invited to that discussion.”

According to the NPP, what needs to be done is for all interested parties, especially the EC, to stick to collective decisions and implement them in the manner agreed upon.

“And if it becomes necessary for modifications to be made, the EC must be honest, professional and transparent enough to inform stakeholders. This is what transparency, fairness and inclusivity are all about as far as the electoral process is concerned,” John Boadu stated yesterday.