The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has annulled the election results of four constituencies of last week’s Constituency Elections held across the country.
The Committee also unanimously dissolved the Regional Elections Committee of the Eastern Region with immediate effect.
The National Elections Directorate has been tasked “to put together a Special Taskforce that will collaborate with the Regional Executive Committee of the Eastern Region to oversee the conduct of elections in the remaining Constituencies in the region”.
A press release, which was signed by the Deputy Director of Elections, Mr. Daniel Amartey-Mensah, named the constituencies as Mpraeso, Atiwa West, Afram Plains South and Atiwa East, which means that elections purported to have been held in these constituencies were illegal and not recognised by the party and, therefore, null and void.
The statement said the elections were largely smooth in most of the constituencies and in accordance with the laid down guidelines.
The Committee, however, expressed concern about the “flagrant disregard by some constituencies for the directive by the Elections Directorate to postpone their elections and took a strong exception to this development, in the light of its earlier admonishment to stakeholders in those constituencies to postpone elections, pending the resolution of some issues”.
It noted that the Committee took serious view of the poor manner in which a few of the constituencies conducted their elections and stated that: “some constituencies experienced challenges like “avoidable delays in printing and delivery of ballot papers, avoidable errors on printed ballots and wilful failure by some constituencies to adhere to directives by the National Elections Directorate”.
The release concluded that, “appropriate sanctions will be meted out to all found culpable in due course,” after a full-scale inquiry into the challenges that were recorded in some constituencies, “relative to the printing and delivery of ballots, as well as gross indiscipline” and flouting of directives of the National Elections Directorate.
From Thomas AgbenyegahAdzey, Kumasi
