Journalist and EC director give different stories on bloated presidential result from Eastern Region

More contradictory reports continue to emerge, further putting the credibility of the 2020 election and the declared results in doubt, especially in the case of the Presidential result declared from the Eastern Region by the Electoral Commission (EC).

But the account of a Daily Guide reporter, Alhaji Daniel Bampoe, which is in sharp contrast to that of Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, who is the Director Electoral Services for the Electoral Commission are most striking and leaves many in shell-shocked.

While, the journalist said he was informed by the Returning Officer in the Eastern Regional office of the EC, Madam Faith Amedzake that the fresh numbers came from the Ayensuano Constituency of the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region, the EC's Director, Electoral Services, has explained the increment was due to the addition from the Asuogyaman constituency of the Asuogyaman District.

But The Herald's investigations revealed that President John Mahama of the NDC polled 24,470 of the valid ballots cast in Asuogyaman in the Presidential Election, when President Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP obtained 22,232 votes. The Ghana Union Movement's candidate, Christian Kwabena Andrew got 22.

The vote that changed the result from Eastern Region, therefore, could have not come from the Asuogyaman Constituency as claimed by Dr. Serebour Quaicoe in an interview on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, because John Mahama had won in the Asuogyaman constituency by 2,238 votes more than President Akufo-Addo.

Faith Amedzake at a press conference, had announced that President Akufo-Addo got 729, 146, while John Mahama, bagged 454,176 from 1,264,827 votes cast. This result tallied with the numbers on the pink sheet.

However, the result mysteriously changed at EC headquarters with certified results declared for candidate Akufo-Addo 752, 061, while John Mahama's also changed to 470, 999 from 454,176.

Meaning the pink sheet as declared at the regional collation center and the certified results published by the EC, are not in agreement. From the certified results, Nana Addo's votes increased by 22,915, while Mahama's votes also increased by 16,823.



In the end, Nana Addo makes a net gain of 6,092.

But two accounts have emerged on the different numbers and Alhaji Bampoe, in a Facebook post took on all those, including the opposition NDC that they were wrong in accusing the Eastern Regional EC boss of changing the figures of the Presidential Election.

According to the Daily Guide reporter, the EC Regional boss at the Koforidua Regional Office after addressing the media gave out the certified results of the Presidential results to the NDC and NPP Reps, which President Akufo Addo had; 729,146 and former President Mahama, also had 454,176 votes.

But "My checks confirmed that the Eastern Regional NPP Research Officer, Kofi Osei-Adjei later detected that the EC mistakenly didn't add all the figures of Presidential Results from Ayensuano to both parties".

"When I verify from him, he said he quickly drew the attention of Baba Jamal Konneh the NDC rep about it that a figure of 16,823 has been deducted from that of Mr Mahama and a total of 22,915 also deducted from the President's votes, but Baba Jamal, said he doesn't care since it doesn't affect them".

"The NPP rep then went to the EC who later added the Ayensuano missing figures to both parties, hence issuing new certified results. The NDC reps were not there to sign the new certified results. This makes the initially certified results given to the parties a total of 1,264,872 votes as the certify votes from the Region".

Initially, President Akufo Addo, had 729,146 votes, but after the Ayensuano own of 22,915 was added it jumps to 752, 061 same as the 16, 823 verses was added to that of the NDC and it jumps from 454,176 to 470,999.

So if the NDC is claiming that the EC has added some figures to that of President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo - Addo, after checking from the EC and the NPP rep, this is what I gathered with the attached proves".

Alhaji Bampoe, was reacting to a Facebook post by Kevor Mark-Oliver, the Eastern Regional NDC Secretary that the EC had changed figures, insisting that the Regional EC officials had confirmed to – Daily Guide reporter- that the Ayensuano figures change the total valid votes.

Kevor Mark-Oliver had written "About the Eastern Region this is what happened.

All collation was completed and agents including NDC signed at 6.45pm. Copies were given to the parties (Our copy displayed). Same was announced (in the video displayed). This result gave NPP 58%, NDC 37% and others 5%. After everybody was gone, The EC fax a new declaration sheet signed at 9.37pm, by only NPP, GUM and PPP to Accra (also displayed here) that sorts to increase each party's vote but with greater increase for the NPP.

You see the Mess the EC is plunging all of us into?? Attached is a video evidence of the declaration by the EC returning officer, the original pink sheet and the fake pink sheet the EC is now using".

But according to Alhaji Bampoe, Baba Jamal Konneh of the NDC who had left the Eastern Regional EC office in Koforidua after the initial declaration of the result by the Regional boss, was given the certify results and left.

But Kevor Mark-Oliver, quickly fired back at Alhaji Bampoe's claim saying "Outright cover-up!! And the media didn't know about it? We were all there when all 33 constituencies were announced and collated!! How did Ayensuano get missing? This clever way of rigging won't help anybody!!



The Herald noted that the second result declared by the EC, had signatures of Nana Oteng Akuffo-Akoto, signing as the Polling agent for Nana Akufo-Addo, while Yeboah Benjamin signed for Christian Kwabena Andrew of GUM with one Amos Nkanssah, who appended his signature for and on behalf of Bridgett Dzogbenuku of the PPP.

All other Presidential candidates, including John Dramani Mahama, had their portions unsigned on the new form containing the different result. Interestingly, the handwritings of the names of the fresh results appeared same.

But the suspicion is heightened by the fact that on the first pink sheet signed at 6.40pm, bears the signatures of Nana Oteng Akuffo-Akoto as polling agent for Nana Akufo-Addo, Jamal Konneh as agent for John Mahama, Yeboah Benjamin as agent for Christian Kwabena Andrew of GUM and Opoku Nsiah Asumaning for the Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the CPP.

Amos Nkanssah, who was later to appear and append his signature for and on behalf of Bridgett Dzogbenuku of the PPP, on the second pink sheet, was not on the first pink sheet, leaving doubt about where he had been.

The handwritings on the first pink sheet varied from those of the second pink sheet which was signed well over three hours 9:39pm after the first document.

Yeboah Benjamin, the agent for Christian Kwabena Andrew of GUM, had his signatures different on both documents.

It is not clear, why it will take a party agent of the NPP, to draw the attention of EC of officials about the huge omission.

Many, including the NDC presidential candidate, John Mahama, have questioned the anomalies and discrepancies detected in the collation of the total results of the presidential elections from the Eastern Region by Madama Faith Amedrake.

Addressing the nation for the first time since EC declared the 2020 results in favour of NPP's Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr Mahama, said in the Eastern Region, the presidential election results, which were collated and signed by all the parties were not the same ones that were transmitted from the region to the EC's offices in Accra.

But in an interview on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, the EC's Director of Elections, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, stressed that it was an oversight which was duly corrected before it was too late, and stated that, if the NDC disagree, they can go to the regional level and challenge that result.

"From the narration of our regional director, when they finished with the collation, they realized that they have not added the Asuogyaman constituency. So they did the collation and added Asuogyaman so every candidate had an additional vote based on the figures from that constituency.

"You know when you are doing collation there are petty mistakes that come up so the important thing is for you to identify them and rectify them to reflect the actual result," he said.

Dr. Serebuor, did not mention, the Ayensuano Constituency. Alhaji Bampoe produced some pink sheets to support his claim that indeed, the numbers had come from, however, this could not be very independently from the NDC's agent at Ayensuano. Indeed, Madam Faith Amedrake is yet to speak to the discrepancies in the two documents bearing her signature.

Meanwhile, Pressure continues to mount on Jean Mensa to justify the result she declared for the Presidential Election on Wednesday, because her figures were wrong.

A research institution named Research and Grant Institute of Ghana (REGIG) insists the declared results for the presidential election are suspicious and the EC must provide answers over anomalies they have detected.

The independent and non-governmental organization dedicated to the generation, dissemination, and utilization of research and data in Ghana and beyond, in an analysis released, said the results and details provided by the EC is questionable.

"As researchers and data scientists, we are particular about the validity and reliability of the methodology used to obtain data. As we will be using the data for research purposes, it is extremely important we know the data curation process, as well as steps taken to rectify data anomalies. We call on the EC to take steps to provide answers to the pressing issues contained in this press release as we work together to strengthen our democratic institutions with data and science."

The EC on Thursday issued a statement admitting an error in the declared results. It later said that its Chairperson, Jean Mensa, "inadvertently used 13,433,573 as the total valid votes cast."

"The total valid votes cast is 13,119,460. This does not change the percentages stated for each candidate and the declaration made by the Chairperson," the EC said in the statement issued Thursday, December 10, 2020.