Sammy Awuku Faces Fierce Backlash Over 2015 Electoral Commission Comments

Sammy Awuku, the Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), is facing a wave of backlash over comments he made in 2015 regarding the Electoral Commission (EC), remarks that are now being seen as deeply hypocritical by his critics.

As social media platform X erupts with discussions, Awuku’s previous demands for a new voter register ahead of the 2016 elections are being revisited in light of the current political climate.

In an October 30, 2015, post, Awuku, then the National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), had called on the youth of Ghana to rise up and demand a new voter register, warning that the EC’s “posture and utterances” were laying the groundwork for a flawed electoral process. He ominously stated, “The cost of a new credible voters register is cheaper than the cost of violence. Youth revolution imminent.”

This call for drastic action, framed as a defense of Ghana’s democracy, now stands in stark contrast to the NPP’s current opposition to auditing the electoral roll, a proposal pushed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the upcoming elections. Many have pointed out the glaring contradiction, accusing Awuku and the NPP of abandoning the very principles of transparency and accountability they once claimed to champion.

The outcry is particularly fierce given the mounting concerns over the EC’s impartiality and the NPP’s alleged efforts to sideline critical electoral reforms.

Political observers and critics alike argue that Awuku’s 2015 rhetoric about safeguarding the future of Ghana’s elections rings hollow in light of the NPP’s current position, which many believe undermines efforts to ensure credibility in the electoral process.

As the country inches closer to the next general elections, the resurgence of these comments has further polarized the political landscape, with opposition forces seizing on the controversy to question the integrity and consistency of the NPP’s electoral agenda. Sammy Awuku, once seen as a youthful voice for change, now finds himself at the center of a storm over his shifting stance on electoral transparency, with the credibility of the NPP hanging in the balance.

Source: ghananewsonline.com.gh