Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, policy analyst and a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of bowing to political pressure in its decision to conduct a rerun of parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations in the Ablwakuma North constituency.
Speaking on The Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, Dr. Zaato suggested that the EC’s reversal of its earlier stance—that it had all the results and needed only security clearance to declare a winner—raises troubling questions about the independence and integrity of the Commission.
Dr. Zaato said, “The EC had been consistent all along. They kept saying, ‘We have the numbers, we have everything to declare the results. All we need is the police to provide security.’ That was their consistent position in court and in Parliament.”
However, he noted a sharp U-turn by the EC, which he attributed to public threats made by the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
“I believe that something massive shifted the EC’s stance. And that something was when the NDC Chairman openly threatened to remove the EC Chair and her two deputies. That is the only new variable,” he said.
Dr. Zaato questioned the timing and integrity of the EC’s latest explanation. According to the Commission’s July 1 statement, it decided to rerun elections in 19 polling stations following meetings with both the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and due to challenges with verifying results from several of those polling centres.
But Dr. Zaato countered this, saying, “The Deputy EC Commissioner had already gone to Parliament and stated categorically that they had everything they needed, and if a rerun were needed at all, it would be in just three polling stations. So did the EC lie to Parliament? If not, what changed within a matter of days?”
He argued that the Commissioners’ decision appears to be an attempt to placate the NDC in hopes of preserving their positions.
“They are sacrificing the credibility of the Electoral Commission just to save their jobs. But it is too late. The NDC has made it clear: they will still remove you,” he stressed.
Dr. Zaato called for a complete overhaul of the EC leadership, insisting there must be a change at the top. Jean Mensa, Bosman Asare, and Samuel Tettey, he said, must all go. “This damage is irreparable. If you aimed to stay in office by caving in, you’ve failed – because your credibility is gone,” he stressed.
The Ablekuma North Constituency has become a flashpoint in electoral dispute, with both the NDC and the NPP holding firmly opposing views on the outcome of the parliamentary contest. The EC’s latest decision, though aimed at resolution, appears to have inflamed tensions further.
