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The Deputy Director of Elections and Information Technology for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rashid Tanko-Computer, has accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of engaging in acts intended to disrupt the ongoing Akwatia by-election.
Speaking on JoyNews’ News Desk programme on Tuesday, September 1, Mr Tanko-Computer alleged that Majority Leader and Effutu MP Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin was personally spotted pulling down posters of the NDC’s parliamentary candidate at one of the polling centres.
Describing the incident as “desperate” and “unwarranted”, the NDC official said the ruling party appeared bent on undermining the credibility and smooth conduct of the polls.
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“The desperation of the NPP has reached a crescendo,” he charged. “They have said severally that their intention is to come and cause confusion just to mar the beauty of the election today. You know they are losing the election — all indications point towards that.”
According to him, the NDC’s posters had been mounted at the location for over three weeks without incident, questioning the rationale for their removal on voting day.
“These posters were at that polling station long before today—for about three weeks now. They also have their posters in other areas; nobody has touched theirs. The fact that the place has been earmarked as a polling station doesn’t mean you should go there and remove them. I am surprised this is coming from my worthy brother,” he said in reference to Mr Afenyo-Markin.
Mr Tanko-Computer further raised concerns about what he described as a sudden change of venue by the Electoral Commission (EC). He explained that a site previously used by the NDC for training and deploying polling agents was unexpectedly redesignated as a polling station on election day.
“Yesterday, a location where we did our training of party agents and deployment; today, that place has been used as a polling station, and we had to vacate. The EC has its dedicated polling stations which are gazetted. So if a poster is there and has been there for a while, it’s not disturbing anything,” he argued.
Challenging the logic behind removing campaign materials on election day, he asked:
“In any case, are they voting for posters today? Is it the poster that will now indicate how people should vote? What kind of mentality are we giving to Ghanaians? Just creating unnecessary tension, causing fear and panic.”
The NDC maintains that such incidents could heighten tensions and urged the EC and security agencies to ensure a level playing field for all contesting parties in the by-election.
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