The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has stated that the whispers of a coup are growing louder in the country, necessitating credible elections on December 7.
According to him, there is a constant reminder that the future of Ghana hangs precariously in the balance, with the tense political landscape.
Speaking in Parliament as a precursor to his questions for the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Dr. Ato Forson, who is also the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam said, “Any trigger will erase all of us.”
With his eyes burning with intensity and voice echoing through the chamber, the Minority Leader asserted, “We cannot afford to take these elections lightly, and added that the mood of the country is one of anxiety and uncertainty.
For him, if the Electoral Commission (EC) does not ensure that this year’s elections are conducted in a transparent and credible manner, Ghana risks losing the very foundation of its democracy – the 1992 Constitution.
Ato Forson contended that the EC, tasked with the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections, holds the future of the country in its hands.
“The most important thing is transparent elections. Mr. Chairman, the mood of this country deserves nothing less than what she said.
“And if we’re not careful and where the country is at this moment, and if this election is not conducted in a credible manner, we may end up losing the 1992 Constitution,” he stressed.
“The future of this country is in her (referring to the Chairperson of the Commission) hands; the future of Ghana is in her hands and the hands of the commission,” the Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson said.
“Any trigger, any trigger will erase all of us, and so Mr. Speaker, since this election is an election with high stakes, there are certain issues that we believe must be addressed, and must be addressed properly,” he intimated.
“Number one, Speaker, during the conduct of the 2020 elections, a matter of serious nature came to our attention. One of the printing presses that were tasked to print ballot papers
for the presidential and parliamentary elections found out that they were printing excess ballots after all the political parties had signed up.
“In particular, the name of the company is invalid. They found out that they were printing excess ballots,” he alleged.
Majority
But his allegations were parried by the Deputy Majority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, urging the Minority Leader to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims.
“I would like to remind them (Minority bench) this year that you will come to equity with a clean hand, and one of the things that we should avoid is to speculate on issues that you don’t have
evidence,” she asserted.
The officials of the EC were brought into Parliament to appraise the House on happenings and preparations for the elections. She urged her colleagues to pay attention to details provided by the Commissioner.
Content by: Ernest Kofi Adu
