Henry Nana Boakye, National Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has strongly condemned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for demanding a forensic audit of the voter register, labeling it as “unwarranted, empty, and must be rejected.” In a recent Facebook post, Nana Boakye emphasized that the NDC has failed to provide any legal basis for its demand that the Electoral Commission (EC) surrender its constitutional mandate to a third party.
According to Nana Boakye, the NDC’s demand is a blatant attempt to undermine the EC’s independence, which is guaranteed by Article 46 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 3 of the Electoral Commission Act, 1993 (Act 451). He pointed out that the EC has the sole discretion to choose among multiple options in performing its functions, and no one, not even the Courts, can compel otherwise unless the decision is unconstitutional.
Nana Boakye cited several Supreme Court cases, including Philip Kwaku Apaloo (2010), Ransford France (2012), Abu Ramadan Series (No. 1 and 2), and NDC v AG (2020), to underscore that the Court has consistently upheld the independence of the EC. He argued that the NDC’s insistence on involving a third party in the EC’s constitutional mandate breaches the Commission’s independence, especially since the EC has consistently engaged parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and worked to resolve any issues.
The EC’s current practice of working with political parties to address concerns has been in place throughout the Fourth Republic, resulting in five successful elections. Nana Boakye emphasized that while the EC may engage stakeholders in its functions, this engagement does not confer a right to dictate the choices the EC makes in executing its constitutional mandate.
Nana Boakye’s stance is not isolated, as he has previously cautioned the NDC against bastardizing the EC. He noted that the NDC’s own actions, such as instructing their supporters not to participate in the National Identification Authority (NIA) registration exercise, have contributed to their current woes.
The NDC has accused the EC of attempting to disenfranchise 11 million Ghanaians by using only the Ghana card and passport for voter registration. However, Nana Boakye argued that the NDC’s claims are unfounded and hypocritical, given their own role in undermining the NIA registration process.
In a separate instance, Nana Boakye criticized the NDC for their response to the government’s digitalization agenda, highlighting their incompetence in the field of digital technology. He noted that the NDC failed to collate their own election results in 2016 and 2020, a basic exercise that a first-year IT student could have done with ease.
The NPP National Youth Organizer has consistently spoken out against the NDC’s attempts to undermine the EC’s authority. He has urged the NDC to respect the EC’s independence and stop politicizing the electoral process.
The controversy surrounding the voter register audit has highlighted the tensions between the NPP and NDC ahead of the December elections. Nana Boakye’s statements reflect the NPP’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and upholding the EC’s independence.
Henry Nana Boakye’s criticism of the NDC’s demand for a forensic audit of the voter register emphasizes the importance of respecting the EC’s independence and constitutional mandate. The NPP’s stance on this issue underscores their commitment to ensuring a free and fair electoral process in Ghana.
