President John Mahama has asked supporters and members of the governing National Democratic Congress to remain calm and not give in to provocation from opposition members since the NDC is on its way to victory.

According to him, it is only losers in any competition that provoke the other side so as to find an excuse on which it can justify its foreseen defeat.

“Don’t be provoked,” he told party supporters at Funsi in the Wa East constituency of the Upper West Region. Mr Mahama also said it is “absurd nonsense” for any political party to claim that the Electoral Commission is on a mission to rig the 2016 polls for him.

The NDC’s flag bearer, who is seeking a second and final four-year term, said: “Some of them have gone to the extent of saying the Electoral Commission is preparing to rig the elections for John Mahama. What absurd nonsense!

“Ghana’s electoral system is one of the best in the world. Note my words – not in Africa, in the world, because it has inherent instruments for guaranteeing its integrity.

“If you noticed, in the run-up to the election, there has been a consistent criticism of the Electoral Commission. Indeed they have said the most unspeakable things about the Chairman of the Electoral Commission and that is all preparing the minds of their supporters for when they lose. So, when they lose, they can blame the Electoral Commission as not being neutral.”

Mr Mahama on Tuesday, while meeting some leaders of labour unions at the Flagstaff House, said the constant criticisms hurled at the EC and its chair, Charlotte Osei, is meant to “set the stage for disputing elections when they have taken place”.

“They have the same personnel working there and I don’t see the reason why people say the commission is biased, ‘the commission is trying to rig the elections in favour of someone’ and all [those] kinds of things,” he stated.

The main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) as well as the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) on different occasions have accused the EC of scheming to rig the elections in favour of the governing NDC.

But Mr Mahama insists that “our electoral process has some of the best safeguards for transparency in any electoral process in the world”.