The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on its supporters to uphold electoral guidelines and gather lawfully at collation centres to observe the collation of results.
Addressing the media on December 7, the party’s communications officer, Sammy Gyamfi, emphasised the public’s legal right to monitor the sorting and counting of ballot papers, describing the process as a public exercise that should be transparent.
“That exercise is not an exercise in secrecy; it’s a public exercise. It’s just like the sorting out of ballot papers, which is done at the collation level,” Gyamfi stated.
He encouraged party supporters to remain vigilant and report any irregularities to the appropriate authorities, urging the Electoral Commission (EC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to welcome public scrutiny if they had “nothing to hide.”
Gyamfi clarified that the NDC was not asking supporters to enter collation rooms but to observe the process from a lawful distance, as stipulated by law. “Even though there are polling agents representing the various political parties, the general public is allowed to observe the process, at least 100 meters from where the real exercise is done,” he explained.
He also dismissed criticisms from the NPP, accusing the ruling party and the EC of attempting to undermine long-standing electoral practices. “Jean Mensa, Bossman Asare, and Samuel Tettey-led EC cannot change it, nor can the failed outgoing NPP government change this. Ignore the lamentations of our friends in the NPP, who have all of a sudden turned into evangelists,” he added.
The NDC’s remarks come amid heightened tensions and calls for transparency in the collation process, as Ghanaians await official results from the December 7 elections.