NPP not behind EC brouhaha – Yamoah Ponkoh

Former Municipal Chief Executive of Ejisu-Juaben and leading Member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh has said the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) cannot be blamed for the wranglings at the Electoral Commission (EC).

According to the firebrand politician, it will be untenable for anyone to point accusing fingers at the NPP following the revelations that have been made by the EC Chair, and her two deputies.

The acclaimed Electoral body has dominated the news for the wrong reasons in the past week following a petition from some concerned workers of the EC asking President Akufo Addo to remove the Chairperson from office.

The petition opened the can of worms as EC boss, Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwa have subsequently engaged in public spat accusing each other of wrong doing including criminal acts.

The opposition NDC jumped into the fray blaming the NPP and President Akufo Addo for the happenings at the EC.

According to the party, it will resist the “blackmail witch-hunting” of the head of the election management body, Charlotte Osei, who was appointed by the former president, John Mahama.

“Stay off intruding into the operations into the activities of the independent EC,” the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference organised by the NDC to assess the president’s first six months in office.

He noted that eventhough the NDC has been able to tolerate the manner in which the president has sacked almost all experienced heads in the civil service and replaced them with NPP members, it will not allow that to happen to the EC Chairperson.

But speaking to Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM Wednesday, Yamoah Ponkoh stated that he’s greatly worried over the political stance that has been taken in this matter that has grave consequences on the country’s electoral system going forward.

“I initially also went the political way but looking at the sort of revelations that have come up, it will be wrong for anyone to accuse a political party of instigating the brouhaha. The sort of things that have been put out by the EC boss and her deputies call for serious investigations as some of the issues borders on criminality. They really have a lot of questions to answer over their blame and counter-blame. Ghanaians have a lot to ask them and they also have a lot to tell us about the rot that has transpired there. What is going on doesn’t auger well for Ghana, how do you expect these people to be at the helm of affairs for the 2020 elections when we’ve gotten to know that a commissioner single handedly transfered several votes prior to the general elections. No one should take a political stance on this very disturbing matter.”