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Opinions of Saturday, 3 November 2012

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Will Power Outage become an Effective Weapon for rigging the Election?

Many a concerned Ghanaian is apprehensive and worried that the ongoing deliberate or otherwise, power outage in the country, may mar the December 7, 2012 general election. As untrustworthy as many have come to see the NDC, nothing may stop them from exploring and exploiting the possibility of using the power outages to their advantage, they conclude.

The desperation by the NDC with the seeming connivance with the Electoral Commissioner to retain power makes it all too obvious for them to explore that avenue. Woe betides the nation should there be power outage on the day of voting in some constituencies. Without the Electoral Commissioner assessing the effect on the overall election, but proceeds adamantly to declare the results when there is a suspicious power outage, then a curse be on his head.

I hope the power-that-be, the so-called "power from above", will not seek to manipulate the election results through any secretly planned power outages in the strongholds of the opposition parties especially, those of the New Patriotic Party.

The highly incompetent, mischievous and corrupt NDC party and government have sought to test several means able to help them win the upcoming election. They tried it with the biometric voter's registration exercise. The Electoral Commission never synchronized the biometric machines prior to putting them to use. The machines sent to Ashanti, and the regions greatly in favour of the NPP kept freezing up, or breaking down at unprecedented rate, it was alleged. The delays caused at some electoral wards due to the breakdowns of the machines put off some eligible voters. Some refused to register at all after two or three abortive attempts made.

There was electricity blackout in most parts of Kumasi or in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, 30th October 2012. This prevented most of the people from watching or listening to the presidential debate organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for the four presidential aspirants that attended. Was it an intentional scheme to prevent the supporters of the NPP from watching President Mahama thrashed by Nana Akuffo-Addo and Dr. Abu Sakara?

The debate was an opportunity to influence many a floating voter for whom to cast their votes. However, the incompetence of those at the helm of affairs in the country denied them that unique opportunity. There was no electricity to operate their television or radio sets. I pray there will not be any planned or unexpected power outage in any parts of the country during the highly contested December 7, 2012 election.

The NDC will be voted out as the nation can no longer cope with their corruption, mediocrity, lawlessness, selective justice and "can't do but won't let others do" attitude. I am sure the Electoral Commissioner is not planning to send any inferior batteries to power the biometric verification machines in the NPP strongholds or elsewhere on the election day.

The evil that men do leaves after them into their graves. "Good name is better than riches" but some people like Johnson Asiedu Nketiah with cotton wool sticking out of their arse, hovering above fire, believe in the reverse order of the adage. Such are the people seeking to rig the elections, I suppose.

There will no longer be any chance for the "Bedii bi keke" NDC bunch of bogus politicians on December 7, 2012. Ghana can no longer sustain their ungrateful kwashiorkor-like potbellies dangling in front of them. Their distended bellies never get full no matter how much they "chop chop" Ghana money "fuka fuka".

Rockson Adofo