We've no mandate to pursue legal action against Bawumia - EC

Head of Communications for the Electoral Commission (EC), Eric Kofi Dzakpasu has asserted that though the Commission has no mandate to pursue legal action against the Vice Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, anyone who feels the need to can pursue it.

A three member committee set up by the Northern Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission has completed their investigations on the verification of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia outside the designated Exhibition Centre.

In a statement signed by Amadu Sulley, Deputy Chairperson, the Committee concluded that allowing a registered voter to go through the exhibition process outside the designated centre was an irregularity and a breach of the rules.

The Commission wishes to advice political leaders to familiarize themselves with the electoral laws and regulations to enable them to insist on the right things being done at all times.

Buttressing the findings of the three member committee, Eric Kofi Dzakpasu on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show averred that only EC has the mandate to set up registration centres and provide codes used for the exhibition centres and also for the polling stations.

According to him, the law says it is only EC which will show where exactly should be used for this exercise; thus, it is only EC which can change a registration centre from one side to the other and communicate it to all the other stakeholders.

“Special codes are given for the registration and exhibition centres and tag them with names, and after that EC send copies to stakeholders and political parties. The law permits EC with schedule and time for its activities,” he posited.

He added that “the law does not allow EC officers to close at the time they want and that the officers cannot leave to work outside their centres. It makes it irregularity and that explains why those two EC officers were sacked.”

He hinted that if for some reasons the EC has to work outside the assigned centres, the stakeholders and their agents must be aware in order for them to follow up and alert people where the centre has been moved to.

He insisted that the two sacked EC officers went against the operational instructions of the Electoral Commission (EC); explaining that, on the side of EC, the offenders in this irregularity are those EC officers assigned to carry out the exercise at the specific place.

But Eric Kofi Dzakpasu quickly added that the action of the EC against the two officers does not stop anyone who feels that they can pursue the case in court against Dr Bawumia who benefited from the irregularity.

“On our side, the offenders are those that EC assigned to carry out the exercise at the specific place, but it does not stop anyone who feels that Dr Bawumia has committed an offense to pursue law suit against him,” he stated.

“EC has no mandate to pursue any law suit against Bawumia . . . and so anybody who feels the need to pursue legal action against Dr. Bawumia, is up to that person; EC is only an election administrator,” he emphasized.

He therefore highlighted that Dr. Bawumia is duly verified despite the fact that it is against the law for the EC officers to conduct their duty outside the specific place accorded them to operate, and further added that their investigation did not show the officers verified Dr Bawumia in his house.