NDC watching EC and NPP closely on Returning Officer recruitment — Omane Boamah

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Director of Elections and IT at the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has noted that his party is closely watching developments at the Electoral Commission (EC).

He said they will not allow the ruling NPP to collude with the election management body to rig the upcoming elections.

In a Facebook post on Friday, April 26, Dr. Omane Boamah alleged that the EC has secretly reopened the application process for Returning Officer recruitment, which had already closed, so they can employ more NPP loyalists.

"The Electoral Commission must understand that their deadline given for applications regarding the recruitment of Returning Officers has expired. This being the case, we do not expect the EC to be accepting (from the NPP) any new applications that will be carried out 'under the table'," read part of his post.

He added, "If the EC wishes to re-open the process for new applicants to apply as Returning Officers, among others, the EC must publish this with justification. An audit will surely establish the digital footprints of any additional applications beyond the deadline. We shall never sit unconcerned as some NPP-infested Electoral Commissioners soil the reputation of the Electoral Commission of Ghana."

This comes after the 2024 presidential candidate of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, accused the EC of giving DCEs and ministers opportunities to submit their preferred candidates for the role of Returning and Deputy Returning Officers.

However, the EC has, in a statement issued on Thursday, April 25, shot down such allegations, saying its recruitment process was fair and open.