Former Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has voiced his disapproval of the practice of canceling valid ballots in disputed election areas, advocating instead for reruns to ensure the true will of the people is upheld.
Dr Gyan’s comment is coming on the very day the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission an announced the cancelling of results from NPP Walewale primaries rerun.
Speaking at the Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi, Dr. Afari-Gyan emphasized that discarding validly cast ballots undermines the democratic process and is an unacceptable practice. He pointed out that in contested areas, rerunning the election is the proper course of action.
“It is not acceptable to cancel out validly cast ballots, often referred to as wasted votes. This practice, seen in places like Nigeria, where many ballots are discarded, is not the correct approach,” he stated. “When you cancel valid ballots, you may punish people who have committed no offense.”
Dr. Afari-Gyan insisted that the right solution in such instances is to rerun the election, allowing the electorate to make the final decision. “The decision belongs to the people, not the election officials or the judges. In a democracy, it is the people who decide,” he concluded.
