Focus on your campaign and leave us alone – EC tells Sammy Gyamfi

The Electoral Commission of Ghana has slammed the National Communication Office of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, over statements he has made on the upcoming Assin North parliamentary by-election.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, May 6, 2023, the commission told the NDC communication to focus on his party’s strategy to win the by-election and leave them (the commissioners of the EC) alone to do their jobs.

It added that the allegations being made by Sammy Gyamfi about the EC siding with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are baseless and should be disregarded.

“Over the years Sammy Gyamfi and his party have put out false claims aimed at maligning the integrity of the EC. This was evident in their petition to the Supreme Court after the 2020 Elections alleging that they had won the Elections. It is well known that they could not provide evidence in Court to support their allegations.

“This current allegation is no different. It is baseless and unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the National Communication Officer. We call on all well-meaning Ghanaians to ignore it.

“Ghana’s democracy has come of age and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to exercise maturity, decorum and truth in his discussions on the EC. We urge him to go out and campaign and leave the EC alone,” parts of the statement read.

What Sammy Gyamfi said:

Sammy Gyamfi, in a statement he issued, raised alarm over an alleged plot by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the Electoral Commission to insert the name of an unqualified candidate into the party's voters' register.

The purpose of this alleged illicit move is purportedly to enable Charles Opoku to participate in the NPP Parliamentary primaries for the upcoming Assin North by-election.

According to Sammy Gyamfi, this action directly violates the nomination form requirement for the Assin North by-election, which explicitly states that a candidate must be a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency. However, Charles Opoku, according to Sammy Gyamfi, is not a registered voter in Assin North.

"Under Regulation 22 of the Public Elections Regulations 2020 (C.I 127), voter transfer can only be conducted for an ordinary citizen at least 42 days before a public election. Moreover, transfer applications must be submitted to the Returning Officer responsible for the election. As the by-election in Assin North is less than 42 days away and a Returning Officer has yet to be appointed, any attempt to transfer voters into Assin North would be deemed unlawful and vehemently opposed by the NDC.

"We are fully aware of this unlawful plot orchestrated by the NPP and the Electoral Commission to manipulate the Assin North Voters Register," stated an NDC spokesperson. "The nomination requirements are crystal clear, and we will not allow any illegal insertion of unqualified candidates into the process. We will take every legitimate step to ensure the Electoral Commission and their NPP collaborators are held accountable."

The NDC emphasized that they are closely monitoring the situation and will remain vigilant in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process. They vowed to take all necessary measures within the confines of the law to prevent the execution of this alleged illegal plot, which undermines the democratic principles and fairness of the by-election.

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