NPP agents signed pink sheets at 'ghost' polling stations

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission and witness for the second respondents has said, more than one party agents of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) signed in some of the 22 polling stations claimed by the NPP as 'ghost' polling stations.

At the early stages of the hearing, Dr. Bawumia, NPP running mate in the December 2012 presidential election and a petitioner in the case, contended in his evidence in-chief that, there were 22 ‘ghost’ polling stations.

They were ‘ghost’ polling stations because they were not part of the original list supplied to political parties by the Electoral Commission, Bawumia explained.

He said this was also because there were no codes assigned to those polling stations as had been the practise.

The petitioners were, therefore, accusing the Electoral Commission (EC) of this irregularity.

Tony Lithur, Tsatsu Tsikata and James Quarshie-Idun, lead counsel for the first, second and third respondents respectively, have attacked this assertion at various times during their cross-examinations.

Mr. Quarshie-Idun had earlier on during his cross-examination of Dr. Bawumia said, the petitioners, despite claims of ghost polling stations, sent party agents to these stations. He showed five application letters signed by the first petitioner and chairman of the NPP, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, dispatching these agents to the stations.

But Bawumia insisted that although polling agents went sent to these stations, the polling station code numbers and names in their letter were different from the details provided on the pink sheet.

But Dr. Afari-Gyan added a new twist to the saga of ghost polling stations while he was being led in evidence on Monday. He said at some of the alleged polling stations, there were more than one signature of NPP party agents.

Dr Afari-Gyan maintained that results were collated on the basis of 22,002 polling stations. If there were extra polling stations, it would have reflected in the total number of stations used in compiling results, he analysed.

He said, to claim they are unknown and, therefore, non-existent was untenable. As the Electoral Commissioner, he did not know all the polling stations, but it has not led him to question their existence.

The EC Boss said the petitioners supplied pink sheets of these so-called ghost polling stations. That was proof of their existence, the witness added.

He was not finished on disapproving NPP’s claim of ‘ghost’ polling stations.

After tendering in pink sheet exhibits from the 22 polling stations, Counsel James Quarshie-Idun asked the witness to confirm if the petitioners' agents appended their signatures to those exhibits.

Dr Afari-Gyan, after checking the exhibits, said in some of the 22 polling stations more than one agent signed the pink sheets.