Gabby Otchere- Darko is suggesting that the signature of the polling agents does not mean there was nothing wrong with the 2012 polls because, they signed according to instructions of the Chair of Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.
Gabby Otchere Darko is claiming, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan advised polling agents to sign results of a polling station even if they had complaints about the electoral process.
The results of the 2012 presidential polls which the ruling NDC's John Mahama was declared winner by the Electoral Commission, is being challenged at the Supreme Court by three Petitioners from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Petitioners are claiming that there were irregularities on the pink sheets which were used to declare the results at the polling station. These irregularities they claim had a profound effect in declaring John Mahama winner.
But the Respondents, John Mahama, the Electoral Commission and the National Democratic Congress, are also insisting that the results on the pink sheets were signed by party agents of the Petitioners - NPP Presidential Candidate, its vice presidential candidate and National Chairman.
But speaking on Joy FM's Newsfile, Gabby Otchere-Darko, a member of the NPP recalled that the Chair of the Electoral Commission at a meeting on 5th December 2012, told a meeting with editors that a political party agent should still sign a result whether or not he agreed with it because, the absence of a signature does not invalidate the results.
The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute said, Dr. Afari-Gyan urged party agents accredited to a polling station to first, sign results as counted and declared and get a copy of the results as recorded on the pink sheets.
He said at the meeting, they were told that the party agents after obtaining a signed copy, could then proceed to the constituency collation centre and show it as evidence of irregularity.
He said Dr. Afari-Gyan explained that, at the collation center, a pink sheet from every polling station within a constituency is used to determine what may have gone wrong with the results. It was at that point that any claim of irregularity could be resolved.
He suggested that the signature of the polling agents should not be misconstrued to mean there was nothing wrong with the results of the polls.
But Nana Ato Dadzie, a former Chief of Staff explained that procedurally, there was a complaint form on which a party agent could register his protest if he was dissatisfied with the results.
He also added that on the pink sheet, there is a section which provides a column for "reasons if you refuse to sign" - meant to give a party agent the opportunity to raise a protest.
But despite all these procedures, no party agent recorded any protest.
It is expected that the court will be giving a ruling on the Petition by the end of the month
| myjoyonline |
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