Its 16 days since the elections of 2020 and the electoral commission is yet to make a statement in whatever form on the controversy surrounding the Techiman south parliamentary election.
With all the issues the NDC heaped on the Mrs. Jean Mensah led Electoral Commission since 2018, one thing that cannot be taking away from it is the importance of the “Let the Citizens know” engagements the commission introduced.
They spoke to the nation each step of the way and responded to issues evrey step of the way from the time of preparing till after the declaration of the outcome of the elections.
Whatever the opposition party, i.e the National Democratic Congress has raised, they responded and clarified.
The commission told the citizens why the country needed a new register and a new voter management system.
They responded to why they can compile the register in the midst of COVID-19.
They told the nation how they could compile the register within what some people called limited time.
They responded to the NDC’s allegations of emitting names from its strongholds in the exhibited register.
They explained to us why an error was made in the presidential results declaration and corrected same.
They told the citizens how the results of Asuogyaman was omitted and how same was added.
They denied the padding allegations made by the NDC and mentioned specifically the issue of the polling station at Chiraa.
They told just yesterday why they couldn’t receive the minority’s petition.
The above are just a few of the issues the commission has responded to or found necessary to inform the Ghanaian people about though I thought some of them are less important.
What the commission has failed to respond or speak to is the Techiman South parliamentary declaration.
I find that very remarkable.
Why does the commission think the citizens don’t have to know what happened in Techiman south?
I just can’t understand it.
The citizens must know whether there was a collation.
The citizens must know the numbers that gave right to the winner.
The citizens must know if the pink sheets the NDC is showing the nation are fake and where the authentic ones are.
The citizens must know why the summary sheet of the results cannot be made available to the NDC candidate who the commission cleared to contest the election.
The citizens must know why the NDC must let the country rest over the Techiman south parliamentary results.
What is difficult about that?
Could it be that the NDC is right on Techiman South? I fear for this country at the thought of that.
In all the debates on this issue, what I find also remarkable is the failure of institutions and individuals who are calling on the NDC to go to court also asking the EC to tell the country what really happened in Techiman South.
It cannot be the right thing to tell the aggrieved party to go to court and be the wrong thing to tell the EC to give to the nation and a candidate the summary sheet of a public election.
Pressuring the aggrieved party to go to court is good but its even better to pressurise the EC to provide to the aggrieved party the reason why he or she should not be aggrieved.
Won’t we be saved from this noise of Techiman South and the shouts of go to court if the EC made available the results it coalated in that public election?
Is the EC not obliged to give the candidates and the nation that?
We can pressure the NDC to go to court on Techiman south today, but let us know that one day the EC can tell us the winner of an election including a presidential election without giving us the numbers that led to the winner.
When that happens let’s remember to tell the other candidate or candidates in that election to go to court.
Let us know also that this country might burn in that election before we make those calls.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make it greater and stronger.
Richard B. Forgor
Citi News’ Savannah Regional Correspondent
forgorson@gmail.com
