We will investigate credible claims if possible- EC

Electoral Commission (EC) Public Affairs Director Christian Owusu Parry has said the EC is ready to investigate any credible petition on fraud allegations.

He elaborated that if a party alleges, and it then becomes obvious, that the vote tally sent to the EC from a constituency far exceed the number of voters there, the EC will delay the declaration of results until it can get to the bottom of the discrepancy.

Otherwise, he announced, the EC will declare results as soon at it can, leaving the NPP the option to seek redress in court.

Earlier Sunday afternoon, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of colluding with EC officials to commit electoral fraud across the country including overreporting the number of ballots cast for NDC candidates.

Owusu Parry would not give an estimate of when the EC will declare results, but he said that because malfunctions in voter verification machines extended voting into Saturday, the 72-hour maximum time frame for declaration that it set for itself before the election no longer applies.

He asked voters to be patient, explaining that because the EC has to spend a considerable amount of time and effort verifying the results of certain constituencies, the process can take a long time.