NPP/NDC still divided over Asutifi South ballot re-count

Tempers flared between representatives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the Brong-Ahafo Regional office of the Electoral Commission in Sunyani on Monday, over the re-collation and declaration of the Asutifi South parliamentary results.
     While the NPP representatives, Mr Boakye Agyarko, a leading member party member and Mr Kwasi Adu Gyan, the Regional Chairman, argued for a stoppage of the re-collation exercise, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary and Mr Chris Ackumey, both from the NDC said otherwise.
     The EC officials in charge of the exercise were Mr Amadu Sulley, Director of research and monitoring and Nana Amba Eyiaba I, Commissioner responsible for the region.
     During the re-collation, the NPP representatives brought a notice filed at the Sunyani High Court restraining the EC from performing the exercise but the NDC argued that it was not a court order so the exercise should be continued.
     In reaction, Nana Eyiaba ordered that the declaration forms be sent back to the regional police headquarters "so that the notice could be forwarded to the EC headquarters for the appropriate measures to be taken".
     The NDC expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction about the way and manner the EC was handling the issue and asked that the results should be declared "to save the nation from any form of confusion".
     The NPP on the other hand said it would not tolerate any form of electoral irregularities and that "if the EC declares the results it would serve as a precedent in the country's fledging democracy".
     Nana Eyiaba explained that the EC played a very neutral role in the electoral process and that it had been fair to all political parties in the discharge of its constitutional mandate.
     "The Commission has put inbuilt mechanisms to ensure integrity of all electoral results," she said.
     It could be recalled that the Asutifi District office of the EC stopped the declaration of the parliamentary results because it came under serious public scrutiny.
     The NPP candidate, Mr Boakye Boateng, claimed the signatory on the declaration form did not belong to the party's agent and doubts the authenticity of the results at the Twabidi number one polling station in the constituency.
GNA