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The Electoral Commission is unable to confirm bribery allegations leveled against vice presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, during the just ended voter exhibition exercise.

Dr. Bawumia has been accused by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), of verifying his name at his residence in Walewale in the Upper West Region.


They further accused him of giving the two electoral officers who facilitated the alleged irregularity an amount of GHc10, 000. 

However the Director of Communications at the EC, Eric Dzakpasu, has stated that  the three-member committee which investigated that matter could not ascertain the claim of bribery.

“What the committee came out with is what was in the release. What it means therefore is that we could not establish that there was indeed some motivation; money or material-wise which induced them to work outside the centre. No issue of bribery was reported to the Electoral Commission,” Communications Director at the EC, Eric Dzakpasu said on Eyewitness News on Tuesday.

“We did not receive any formal complaint of any monetary inducement of bribery, so that could not have been the term of reference for the committee,” he added.

Bawumia wasn’t verified at his home – EC

Mr. Dzakpasu also rejected claims that Dr. Bawumia was verified at his private residence.
“All that we knew is that, they verified him outside, some distance away from the exhibition centre and certainly not the house but outside the exhibition centre.”

NDC must apologise – NPP

Meanwhile, the NPP insists that the findings by the EC vindicates their running mate and has further charged the NDC to apologise to Dr. Bawumia.

“I think they should bow down their heads in shame and also render an unqualified apology to Bawumia when they lied so clearly, wickedly, that he handed over GHc 10,000 to electoral officers. The Electoral Commission’s own statement vindicates our position and we are very happy with work of the EC,” Deputy Communications Director of NPP, Anthony Karbo said on Eyewitness News.

Police to investigate NDC’s claims

The Police had told Citi News they will soon investigate the matter following a formal complaint lodged by the NDC.

The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, disclosed that “ complaint was lodged with the Walewale police, and the CID in the Northern Region has taken statements from the verification officer of the EC and one other officer.”

“As we speak, they are even in the jurisdiction doing further investigations. As and when we need to put anything out there, we will do so,” he indicated.