The Herald, has intercepted a report and videos from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which suggest that, the Electoral Commission (EC) has not been truthful with the public on some extra ballot papers found concealed at Inno-Link, a private printing press involved in the printing of the 2020 ballot papers.
The report contradicts the claim of EC that what were destroyed were normal waste papers after the printing of the ballot papers by saying they were rather discovered by NDC agents in the print house of Inno-Link several days after unwanted ballot materials had been supposedly destroyed.
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The NDC report was sent to its Director of Elections, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah by the party’s agent, Noah Agbeko Dumenya and witnessed by another agent Amos Ameyaw. They were under the supervision of Mr Agbesi Nutsu.
The NDC report revealed that the party’s agents had discovered that “some ballot sheets in sizeable quantities on separate wood pellets were found concealed in brown papers tightly sellotaped in huge packages and placed at vantage points in the print hall”.
The EC had described media reports suggesting that the Commission has burnt one million extra ballots meant for the Ashanti Region, as misleading. A statement issued by the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), urged the public to disregard the reports.
The statement explained that seven local printing houses were engaged to print the 2020 presidential and parliamentary ballot papers and that after “such a massive printing exercise, the waste ballots were shredded and burnt by each printing house in the presence of Political Party Agents.
“The Political Party agents located in the printing houses were informed about the shredding and burning of waste ballots and as part of the process, they were made to sign an undertaking of consent. This is a routine process that has been in place at the Electoral Commission,” it said.
The statement said on Wednesday, November, 25, it was agreed among Political Parties, Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), National Investigations Bureau (NIB), Ghana Police Service (GPS), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and staff of Innolink Printing House that waste and damaged ballots would be burnt at the Old Fadama Mortuary Road Incineration Site.
It said the stakeholders, including agents of the NDC signed an undertaking for the burning to be done on November 27.
The statement said, however, after the ballots were shredded at the printing house, the political parties, though in full knowledge of the burning at the Mortuary Road Incineration Plant, did not go to witness the exercise.
It said the “NDC agent took advantage of their absence and invited a journalist …to cover the burning, and falsely claimed that the ballots being burnt were the one million extra ballots the Commission had allegedly printed.”
“His motive was to justify the earlier fabrications put out on social media to the effect that the Commission was secretly printing additional ballots. This is most unfortunate,” it said.
“It is difficult to understand how the Commission will secretly print one million ballots and then openly, in broad daylight, burn all the ballots in the presence of the stakeholders.”
The statement said it was unfortunate that the reporter did not verify the information and misled the public. It re-emphasized the need for media practitioners to be circumspect in their reportage not to disrupt the electoral process.
However, the NDC report revealed that the party’s agents had discovered that “some ballot sheets in sizeable quantities on separate wood pellets were found concealed in brown papers tightly sellotaped in huge packages and placed at vantage points in the print hall”.
“This should not have been a news but for the fact that the stage at which unwanted ballot materials were supposed to have been destroyed had been well executed with Certificate of Disposal well signed by agents and security details”.
“The question that begged asking was how come that quantum of ballot papers still stuffed in the print house at the blind side of the agents and Electoral commission official?
“Indeed, when the EC official, Mr. Fred was asked about the situation, he was shocked and stupefied, giving the quantum of the sheets, and above all, it happening at his blindside”.
The report said “one Lady, Madam Tina, a Co-head of the Bindery was very instrumental in the concealment of the Ballot papers. Her responses were not straight forward.
Upon confrontation by the NDC Agents, Noah and Amos and a CPP agent, Sule, she first said those sheets were kept not for any evil intension. And that they were deliberately kept just in the event of a *run-off*, they could fall on them. How weird!”
“When she was reminded that only two candidates can go for a run-off and not the twelve on the ballot paper, she shifted the goal post. She now said that they were there to serve as a backup just in case something else happens to the ASHANTI Region printing, they could fall on them”, the report said.
“This reason did not go down well with the NDC agents. We asked; Ashanti ballot papers were dispatched on Sunday 22nd Nov, 2020, how come as at 25th Nov. those goods were still there and no one was informed about it?
“The Operations Supervisor; One Mr. Mike explained that those ballot papers were due for destruction and he was waiting for all dusts to settle before they disposed them off. The question again we asked was, how come we were not informed?
“By this time, the NDC Agents’ Supervisor, Agbesi Nutsu, had arrived and vehemently demanded answers from management on the serious irregularity that has been unravelled by his team”.
“The production manager, one Mr. Bentil, responded to Mr. Agbesi and the mini gathering of agents and other security detailed; that there was no deliberate attempt to conceal those remnant ballots to favour anybody but it was done as a business culture not to allow other clients to see what are being done by another. He explained that it is their practice not to allow clients to see the works of other clients and so, they concealed the ballot papers for that purpose and nothing more”.
“When he was asked how come the Agents are not aware, he insisted that there was a meeting to that effect and that the change in shift of the agents might have broken the Communication. He said the EC official was aware”.
“Mr Agbesi then confronted the EC official Mr. FRED who denied any knowledge of the concealed papers.All these time, the Agents of NDC had demanded for an immediate shredding of the concealed ballot sheets. This was done pending final disposal”.
The report said “in conclusion, much as management attempts to assign various theories to the situation, some truths must be established;
1. The agents, especially, NDC Agents have not been informed about the concealment. All we know is excess ballots have been destroyed.
2. The uncoordinated responses from management when the materials were discovered
3. The denial of the EC and other workers to have no knowledge about the concealment
4. That all those ballot papers are ASHANTI REGION ballots meanwhile there were other regions printed there notably; UPPER WEST and WESTERN NORTH. Why only ASHANTI ballots were concealed
5. That; we would not have discovered the concealed ballots if not for the re-printing of AFGYA KWABRE SOUTH defective ballots. What would have happened to those ballots?Source: www.theheraldghana.com