Independent bi-partisan organisation Election Watch Ghana has vowed to hold the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) accountable and ensure it adopts a patriotic stance ahead of the December 7 elections.
The organisation says it cannot allow the EC to keep its stakeholders in the dark in the name of independence.
“The EC’s independence does not mean it is above the law or accountability,” Election Watch Ghana insists.
“We demand transparency and accountability, and we will not relent until the EC delivers.”
The group made these known during a press conference held on Friday, May 17 in Accra.
Convenor Mark Ewusi Arkoh, addressing the press, said the Jean Mensa-led EC has brazenly abandoned its constitutional mandate to conduct free, fair and transparent elections as enshrined in Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution.
“Its recent behaviour, marked by disdain for opposition parties and stakeholders, is a grave threat to Ghana’s democracy.
“As key stakeholders in Ghana’s electoral process, we wrote to the EC exactly a month ago, expressing concerns about missing verification devices and requesting further information, including serial numbers.
“However, we were met with silence and arrogance, a clear indication of the EC’s intention to undermine the electoral process.”
Election Watch Ghana fears the lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the country’s elections-management body is a “recipe for disaster and we will not stand idly by while our democracy is hijacked”.
It is, therefore, calling on the EC to be transparent in its dealings with stakeholders.