Political analyst Alex Emmanuel Nti has reacted to the alleged bribery incident that characterised the Ejisu by-election.
He said it was unfortunate that we had to witness this incident, which nearly marred the violence-free election.
The Electoral Commission (EC) withdrew the two temporary staff following a viral video that captured the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, allegedly giving the officials a bribe during the Ejisu by-election.
Following the release of a video apparently showing them accepting what seems to be a bribe from the MP, the politician agreed to handing them a white envelope but denied it was a bribe.
According to the MP, he gave it to them to use it for lunch.
The widely circulated video shows Dr. Nyarko placing a white envelope on the table in front of the EC officials during the Ejisu by-election.
Reacting to the incident, Mr. Emmanuel Nti said it was terrible.
Although he praised the EC for its prompt action, he feels the poll in the affected polling station should have been delayed and the contents of the box reviewed before proceeding with the election.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he suggested that this could have provoked other candidates to challenge the credibility of the process on the grounds that the election was rigged.
He stated that in a circumstance when there was no obvious winner, the other contender may have contested the results.
He told the news team that “the incident involving the MP and the EC officials was not good. As to what was in the envelope, I cannot tell. But I am happy that when the incident occurred, the EC, with immediate effect, removed the two officials involved in the incident.
However, some of us believed that when the two officials were removed, the procedure at the impacted polling station would be delayed so that the EC could examine what was in the box before proceeding with the elections. Assuming that the item was foreign material and there was no obvious winner, the loser may have contested the results and called its credibility into question. The loser may have stated that the results at the polling station could affect the overall results.”
He continued: “We were also expecting that, although the EC was proactive yesterday, they should have critically examined the situation before allowing the process to continue.”.
He emphasised the need of the EC conducting public elections in a free, fair, transparent, and credible manner, as it is mandated to do.
He added that political parties should be alert to ensure that electoral processes are not manipulated, as this could lead to violent outbursts like those seen in the Ayawaso West Wuogon election.
Another problem he raised was footage of alleged count-jumping by some EC officials, which he urged should be investigated to see whether they were accurate.
Overall, he regarded the election as a success and praised all of the stakeholders that participated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
