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Deputy General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has stated that the NDC as a party is not concerned about the missing Biometric Verification Device (BVD) but rather about the possibility that individuals could enter the premises of the Electoral Commission (EC) and steal these devices; adding that the negligence of the Commission led to the theft of the electoral machines. 

According to Mustapha Gbande, the EC is the body in charge of elections; therefore, the lax security at their premises, allowing others to steal very important electoral materials, is a cause for alarm.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on April 9, he said, “these are very critical questions bordering on the credibility of the Electoral Commission and in their own interest let them go and sleep on it and reflect."

"In fact, knowledge is not in one person’s head...in the interest of the commission's own integrity and credibility that has been put on the line."

Mr. Gbande added, "In the first place, we should not have a commission that will fail to protect the machines. We should not have a situation where thieves can enter the warehouse of the Electoral Commission to steal. Knowing how important these machines are, we shouldn’t have gotten there in the first place."

The NDC disclosed that seven of the machines were missing in March. However, the EC stated that only five were missing and these did not contain voter data.

It would be recalled that there was an alleged theft of some biometric verification devices belonging to the Electoral Commission but the officials of the Commission debunked the allegation stating that Biometric machines have not been stolen but laptops, adding that the theft of the five laptops will have no consequence on the outcome of the December 7 elections.

The EC also debunked claims that it would struggle to organise a free and fair election following the theft of its five laptops.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare, there was no need for such panic because the alleged stolen items do not concern sensitive data.

Earlier at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meeting, the EC requested the NDC to volunteer any information regarding the robbery so that proper investigations can be carried out.

The NDC is reluctant, insisting that the EC must protect the machines. Hence, the EC should be able to conduct an inventory of machines to provide an account and update the public on the issue.

Additionally, Mr Gbande said the party is not interested in pursuing a criminal matter but rather in understanding how it might affect the elections.

“So if you are calling on the NDC to volunteer information who says we are interested in the criminality of it? We are interested in the administration of those machines to the extent that it can jeopardize and compromise the integrity of the exercise. That is what the NDC is talking about,” he added.