72 hours before poll result declaration needless – GPCC

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has admonished the Electoral Commission (EC) to release the results available to them as it resolves the ones with challenges.

The General Secretary of the GPCC, Apostle Samuel Yaw Antwi, told Class FM’s Kwame Dwomoh Agyemang on Thursday, December 8, that even though the EC is within the time it has promised to declare the results, the 72-hour interval was instituted in previous times when there was no technology and every result had to be computed manually.

For him, with modern technology and advancement in recent times, it should not take that length of time to announce certified results to the general populace.

“We don’t necessarily have to wait for 72hrs before declaring everything,” he stated.

This was in response to the EC’s announcement that it was resolving over-voting issues with some results in certain constituencies.

But the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said that according to collated results available to them, the flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo has won the presidential polls and the EC must declare the results without delay.

Apostle Antwi lauded the EC for a well-organised election but expressed reservation over the delay in announcing the results.

“Everything has been beautifully organised but the delay in publishing the results is what we are not happy with. We know collation centres have declared results, so even if there is a problem with presidential, they should be announcing the parliamentary results,” he stressed.

He said he does not think “the problems are nationwide, so whichever constituencies are ready they should be announcing them and people will be calm and patiently wait”.

He continued: “It is unfortunate that this has happened that we have this vacuum that is being taken advantage of. It does not augur well, as the international community and everyone is expecting to hear good news from Ghana and not what we are hearing, it is of great concern to us.”

He was quick to also caution members and supporters of the various political parties not to act violently and lawlessly.

“Let me take this opportunity to tell the youth, especially the NPP and the NDC, to exercise a little bit of restraint and just hold on because a lot of consultations are going on with stakeholders to get the right thing done,” he noted.

He was of the view that “the people of Ghana have spoken very clearly and we do not want any incidence that will mar this peaceful atmosphere that we have all had”.