The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected suggestions that a report by an investigative committee of the Electoral Commission has exonerated the NPP’s Vice-Presidential Candidate.
The NDC in the Northern regional town of Walewale had alleged that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia bribed electoral officers with 10,000 cedis to bring electoral equipment to his house for the verification of his details as a voter during the EC’s Voter Exhibition exercise.
A three-member committee set up by the EC to investigate the matter said that even though Dr. Bawumia was not verified at the designated centre, he didn’t do so either, at his Walewale home as claimed by the NDC branch there.
Whereas the NPP points to this as a vindication of its position, the NDC maintained that its claim that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was verified outside the perimeter of the EC’s designated center has been confirmed by the report.
“We are very sure that the information we got to the media has been confirmed by the EC report,” Imoro Abdul Razak, Walewale NDC Constituency Communication Director told Joy News.
A statement issued by the Walewale NPP branch on its part says it “feels vindicated by the conclusions of a three-member committee.”
The EC on July 29 dismissed two officials of its Walewale district office namely Jobey Ambrose and Mumuni Latiffa for allegedly being induced by Dr Bawumia with the sum of GH¢10,000 to breach the electoral laws of the country.
According to the EC, the duo was alleged to have taken the voters’ register and verification machine to Dr Bawumia’s house to have his particulars checked.
They were later summoned following a tip-off and after interrogation in which they admitted having verified the NPP Vice Presidential Candidate outside the Commission’s designated perimeter, they were fired and replaced immediately.
The report of the committee that investigated the matter said, “Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was facilitated by both officers to check his name in the voters’ register and got verified outside the exhibition centre.”
This, the report says flies in the face of guidelines by the Commission, adding, “Exhibition Officials have no authority to set-up or relocate Exhibition Centres to a place different from the one designated by the Commission without the prior express authorization of the EC.”
Permalink. Sign up here to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana, Africa. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond. Join us on Twitter @ghanastarnews. Do you have articles for publication, questions or enquiries? Please email them to info@ghanastar.com.
