Don’t allow your own interests to supersede your conscience in judging the Electoral Commission: Retired EC official advises political parties

A retired returning officer of the Electoral Commission in the northern region, Mr Zakaria Mohammed Muniru, has made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians not to allow their own interests to supersede their conscience in judging the work of the Electoral Commission.

Mr Muniru pleaded with people who constantly castigate the electoral commission without any knowledge of the electoral process in Ghana to either keep quite or stop lying about the Electoral commission.

Explaining the electoral process to political party representatives and peace campaigners in Tamale, Mr Muniru said in every major election, the EC’s first assignment is to compile the voters’ register, followed by exhibition of what is normally called the provisional register, and citizens, especially, political party activists need to be abreast with the electoral process.

Ghana, he said, has never run short of ballot papers in elections since 1992. Mr Muniru, who is the public relations officer for the Center for Active Learning and Development, said the EC always provides more ballot papers than there are registered eligible voters in the register.

“The EC cannot do what it likes because it works under laws,” he said, adding that,”the neutrality is when you know the procedures and follow them because the EC cannot go to Togo or Burkina Faso and bring their electoral commission officials to manage Ghana’s elections”.

A Senior Programs Officer at ActionAid, Mrs Melody Azinim, said the organization thrives in a peaceful environment and the youth of Ghana must embrace peace.

“For us in ActionAid we believe in positive change of youth minds for the development of Ghana.”  She added that the organization will continue to advocate peace in its operational areas because development can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace.

A trainer of ActionAid Ghana Global Platform project, Ms Dorkas Yobo explained to Zaa News that reasons for bringing the various political party leaders and stakeholders together to deliberate on 2016 elections was to iron out issues that are likely come out during the elections.

Most of them, she explained has mistrust issues which needed assurances from the state institutions mandated to manage the December 7 general elections.

“Ghana’s being touted as a beacon of peace in the sub region and that peace needed to be maintained by the citizens of the Ghana,” Ms Yobo said.