The National Democratic Congress (NDC), the main opposition party, has demanded a thorough investigation into how a single defaced ballot paper intended for the Eastern Region was removed from one of the printing houses contracted by the Electoral Commission.
The party has also called for the prosecution of anyone found responsible for the breach.
In response to the incident, the Electoral Commission has ordered the recall and reprinting of ballot papers for both the Eastern and Western Regions after a leak was discovered in the initial batch.
The Commission’s Chairperson, Jean Mensa announced this at an emergency news conference on Sunday, December 1.
As a result, the Commission has recalled the ballot papers for the Eastern and Western Region and has suspended and postponed the special voting in those two regions to Thursday, December 5.
According to the Commission, this has become necessary after it was informed by National Security that a single defaced paper was taken out of Checkpoint Printing Limited Printing House.
The defaced paper was earmarked for destruction but unfortunately found its way out of the firm which has been working with the Commission since 1992.
Although all political parties agreed with the EC’s decision to recall and reprint the ballot papers, two parties, the NDC and PNC want the matter thoroughly investigated and the culprits dealt with.
The NDC’s Director of Elections, Dr Omane Boamah, is urging various security agencies, including the National Investigation Bureau (NIB), to investigate the incident.
Speaking to Joy News moments after the EC addressed the incident, Dr Boamah said the situation tarnishes the credibility of the general election.
He said that, although the EC has decided to reprint the affected ballot papers, this action “will never erase the entire risk.” He also questioned the EC about the arrest of those responsible for breaking the seals on the ballot papers, stating, “In this case, we were not told whether the National Security or the Police arrested an individual or group of people and whether they are in custody.”
Dr Boamah therefore urged the country’s security agencies, who are responsible for protecting the ballot papers, to “immediately announce if they have arrested any culprits, and if so, who they are.”
“We are saying that the National Security, National Investigation Bureau, the Police, and the CID must let the public know who is involved,” he emphasized.
