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Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for demanding a forensic audit of the voter register. He called this demand “unwarranted, empty, and must be rejected.”
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Boakye argued that the NDC has not provided any legal grounds to justify why the Electoral Commission (EC) should relinquish its constitutional role to a third party. According to him, Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 2 of the Electoral Commission Act, 1993 (Act 451) clearly grant the EC the sole authority to compile the electoral register and oversee elections.
Boakye further explained that Article 46 of the Constitution and Section 3 of Act 451 guarantee the EC’s independence, ensuring that its decisions are free from external control or influence.
Referencing several Supreme Court rulings, such as Philip Kwaku Apaloo (2010), Ransford France (2012), and the Abu Ramadan cases (No. 1 and 2), Boakye emphasized that the Court has consistently affirmed the EC’s independence. He highlighted that the EC has the freedom to choose how to perform its duties, and no entity, not even the Courts, can force it to act otherwise unless its actions are deemed unconstitutional.
Boakye also mentioned that the EC has a long history of working with political parties, especially through the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), which has contributed to the successful management of five national elections in the Fourth Republic. He argued that the NDC’s push to involve an external body in the EC’s functions undermines the Commission’s independence, particularly since the EC has always consulted with political parties to address any concerns.
He reiterated that while the EC may engage with various stakeholders, this consultation does not give anyone the right to dictate how the Commission should execute its mandate. Boakye concluded by urging the public to reject the NDC’s call for a forensic audit and to uphold the independence and authority of the EC.
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