Richard Ahiagbah, Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has strongly criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he considers to be a contradictory position on the Electoral Commission (EC). His comments come in response to the NDC’s recent concerns about the voter register and their nationwide protest against the EC, which the opposition party has organized to push for an external audit of the electoral roll.
In a recent interview on Face to Face on Channel One TV, Ahiagbah pointed out what he views as hypocrisy in the NDC’s stance, stating that the party had previously been a staunch defender of the Electoral Commission. He noted that many of the same NDC leaders who are currently criticizing the EC were, in the past, vigorously defending the institution, particularly during the 2012 and 2016 elections.
“Everything they (NDC) are saying today they were against it. They were defending spiritedly the EC, led by the flagbearer, the former president John Dramani Mahama, their general secretary now National Chairman of the party, every one of them in 2016, 2012 they were defending the EC very spiritedly,” Ahiagbah stated during the interview.
He argued that the NDC’s current position on the EC is inconsistent with their previous defense of the institution, thereby undermining their credibility. According to Ahiagbah, the NDC’s actions today stand in stark contrast to their public statements from previous election cycles, particularly when they supported the EC’s independence and operations.
“So everything they are on the streets trying to canvass against or for themselves their utterances negate their actions then. So they don’t have the moral capacity if they want to be honest,” he added, reinforcing his point that the NDC’s current demands are in direct contradiction to their earlier stance on the Electoral Commission.
Ahiagbah also referenced a principle that was articulated by former President John Dramani Mahama, which he believes is being disregarded by the NDC in their current protests. According to Ahiagbah, Mahama had previously stressed the importance of allowing the EC to operate independently, without interference from political parties. This principle, Ahiagbah noted, was championed by Mahama when he was in office, and it should still be relevant today.
“The principle former president Mahama established for us is to say that allow the EC to do their job. So why is that principle not applicable today?” Ahiagbah questioned during his interview. He expressed confusion as to why the NDC seems to have abandoned this principle and is now pushing for changes that they once opposed.
The NDC’s concerns about the voter register have been at the center of the recent political discourse. The party has accused the EC of failing to address discrepancies in the voter roll and has called for a forensic audit to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. This led to the NDC organizing a nationwide protest, dubbed “Enough is Enough,” which took place across all 16 regions of Ghana. The protest was aimed at pressuring the EC to heed their demands for an audit of the voters’ register, a request that the EC has so far resisted.
In Ahiagbah’s view, the NDC’s sudden shift in stance is politically motivated and designed to cast doubt on the EC’s work, despite the party’s previous defense of the same institution. He argued that the NDC’s current protests are contradictory to the party’s earlier support of the EC and are undermining their own credibility in the process.
Ahiagbah’s remarks are part of a broader critique from the NPP regarding the NDC’s handling of electoral issues. The NPP has consistently defended the Electoral Commission’s operations under its current leadership and has argued that the EC is capable of conducting free and fair elections without the need for external audits or interference.
While the NDC maintains that their concerns are legitimate and rooted in the need for transparency, Ahiagbah’s criticism underscores the growing tension between the two major political parties in Ghana. As both sides prepare for upcoming elections, the issue of the voter register and the EC’s role in maintaining electoral integrity is likely to remain a contentious point of debate.
In conclusion, Ahiagbah’s comments highlight what he perceives as hypocrisy within the NDC’s current approach to the Electoral Commission. By pointing to the party’s past defense of the EC and contrasting it with their present demands, Ahiagbah has called into question the consistency and motivations behind the NDC’s actions. Whether or not the NDC’s push for an audit will succeed remains to be seen, but Ahiagbah’s remarks signal that the NPP is prepared to defend the EC’s independence and challenge what they view as politically motivated attacks on the institution.
