Johnson Aseidu Nketia, the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed deep concern about potential threats to the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.
In a press conference held at the party’s headquarters, he called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to address pressing issues, particularly the discontinuation of indelible ink during voting.
Aseidu Nketia highlighted three critical issues that, if not promptly addressed, could have severe consequences for the upcoming elections: the absence of indelible ink, a shortage of ballot papers, and concerns about election security.
The NDC vehemently opposed the EC’s decision to abandon the use of indelible ink, emphasizing its importance in verifying votes and preventing electoral fraud.
Aseidu Nketia questioned the rationale behind this decision, especially giving the known risks of Biometric Verification Devices’ (BVDs) failure.
“Indelible ink marks and identifies votes in order to discourage and prevent individuals from engaging in multiple voting, particularly when there is apathy,” Aseidu Nketia said. He argued that the removal of indelible ink could make it easier for individuals to exploit the electoral process.
The NDC chairman also expressed concern about potential malfunctions of BVDs and urged the EC not to compromise the multilayered verification system that adds credibility to Ghana’s electoral process.
“The EC must not make life easy for criminals to exploit our electoral process, Moreover, without indelible ink, a plaint EC official can allow a voter to vote whether or not the person is on the register at a particular polling station,” he added.
He emphasized that the use of indelible ink remains crucial for quickly identifying and preventing criminal activities, such as multiple voting.