Opinions of Wednesday, 23 September 2020

Columnist: Abena Nyarkoaah

The unprecedented data errors by EC which forced gentle Mahama to roar

Former President John Dramani Mahama Former President John Dramani Mahama

Posterity will recall this moment, that the cool, calm, gentle, soft spoken attributes of ex-President John Mahama went in flames yesterday, September 22, as increasing reports of missing names on the voter register reached worrying levels.

With the names of a whooping 21,000 registered voters missing from the voters register in the Ashaiman Constituency alone, President Mahama, justifiably got alarmed.

Hearing further that the case of missing names from the register was not only limited to Ashaiman, but was countrywide, where just 4 names appeared at a polling station with over 400 registered voters - the former President felt the pinch.

Then came the confirmation that Asawase, an NDC stronghold in the Kumasi metropolis, was affected by this missing names development, unlike other neighbouring constituencies in Kumasi.

Observers smelled foul play and quickly raised red flags, over what seem to be a well calculated plan to remove names of registered voters from the electoral roll of NDC strongholds.

Fact is, the nature of the missing names is unprecedented and so was the reaction of gentle Mahama.

The former First Gentleman of the land, cut short his campaign tour of the Bono Region and headed back to Accra. But not before speaking his mind.

So, in his soft spoken tone: "The incompetence of this EC is legendary", he said.

Indeed, this is the first time that President Mahama had been seen or heard launching such a venomous attack on the Jean Mensah led Electoral Commission (EC).

Besides referring to the EC's management of the voters register as legendary in incompetence, he described the confusion created by the EC and warned: "There is so much chaos and disorder and it has a potential to create chaos in this country.”

Addressing the concerns of the supporters gathered to hear him on the deletion of names from the register, President Mahama added: “We are not confident in the process that is going on."

Not directly mentioning the trending video of late night manufacturing of Voter ID Cards ingoing somewhere in Ablekuma, Mr Mahama said: "There is too much anarchy and disorder.”

The Jane Mensah led EC is indeed going down in history as the most opaque, arrogant, chaotic, and incompetent Commission ever seen in this country, capable of forcing a bile out of the leaves of medicinal plants.

Future generation of Ghanaians will read in history books: "The Unprecedented Data Errors By EC Which Forced Gentle Mahama To Roar."