The National Campaign Manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Mac Manu, has dismissed claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has put in place a grand scheme to rig the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in favour of the ruling party.
The NDC led by its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, on Wednesday, May 14, 2020, accused the NPP that it set out to rig the 2020 polls immediately it took office on January 7, 2017.
In doing so, the elephant family has conspired with the election managing body and the National Identification Authority (NIA) to rig the elections in the favour.
For instance, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said the EC and the NIA have been mandated to suppress votes in the strongholds of the NDC.
He added that the decision of the EC to push for Ghana Card, Birth Certificate, and Passport as the primary documents required to register during the Voters Registration exercise is part of a grand scheme to rig the 2020 elections in favour of the governing NPP. Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo wondered why the EC would like to ignore the voter ID which he says is the most credible document of identity in the country and rather go for birth certificate which are easily obtainable.
He further alleged that the NIA increased the number of registration centers in the Ashanti Region during the registration of the Ghana Card in that region but kept few in the strongholds of the NDC as part of the voter suppression agenda.
However, Mr. Manu, said those accusations are frivolous, noting that the NPP is and cannot be part of any conspiracy whatsoever to rig the 2020 elections.
Addressing a press conference in Accra to counter the accusations levelled against the NPP, the Campaign Manager of the NPP said the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition is not afraid to face the electorate and will not in any way conspire with any organization or body or whatsoever to rig the upcoming elections in their favour.
“We do not need the EC to rig an election in our favour. A government that has put some 1.3 million children to school, (who if NDC was in power would be on the streets) does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. A government that has restored industry and is creating jobs for the people does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. A government that has put 100,000 unemployed graduates to work does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. A government that puts the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian first, whether it is in protecting the money of millions of depositors, or absolving the cost of electricity and water of 30 million Ghanaians, to ease the sufferings of the people when there is a crisis, such a government does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. The President continues to show leadership and commitment to the welfare of ordinary Ghanaians and it is this which gives us confidence that the Ghanaian people will recognize his leadership and performance and allow the party that knows how to deliver to continue”, he noted.
He added “We intend to fight and win in December based on our performance”.
To Mr. Mac Manu, the focus of President Akufo-Addo and his government upon assuming office was to fix the broken economy that President John Mahama and his NDC “rigged in their 8 years in office”, stressing that it remains their focus to manage the crisis caused by COVID-19 in a way that the Ghanaian economy and society will come out of the crisis stronger and more united.
“The plan of the NDC is nothing more than to fabricate grounds for chaos, disunity and fear. They are doing this because they do not have a good candidate and a good story to tell voters in December”, he noted.
According to him, it beats the imagination of the well-meaning Ghanaians why the NDC is rejecting the compilation of a new voters register, urging Ghanaians to demand answers from the opposition party.
“We want the people of Ghana to ask the NDC this simple but important question: so what is it about the 2012 voters register that the NDC is so determined to protect it from being replaced? What is in that 2012 register that the NDC is threatening civil war if it is changed for a better one? Why is the NDC placing its entire electoral fortunes on that controversial register which was compiled under their term in office? Please, remember that this is the first time ever that any opposition party in Ghana has complained and complained so loudly against the compilation of a new voters’ register”, he narrated.
