The Effutu Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially petitioned Nenyig Ghartey VII, the Paramount Chief of the Effutu Traditional Area, over what they describe as escalating political abuses and electoral irregularities in the constituency.
In the petition, the NDC highlighted a series of issues that they believe threaten the peace and fairness of the upcoming elections scheduled for December 2024.
These include the removal of their party’s billboards, the alleged leakage of sensitive nomination documents, and discrepancies in the voters’ register.
Billboard Destruction Allegations
The NDC accused the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Effutu, Hon. Zubairu Kassim, of leading a group of NPP youth in an illegal operation to tear down their billboards.
One of the billboards, which featured the image of former President John Dramani Mahama, was pulled down near Klimovic junction in Winneba. The party claims this act of vandalism was followed by a midnight operation targeting additional NDC billboards across the constituency.
The NDC expressed concern that these actions by the MCE and his party members could provoke retaliation and lead to conflict between political supporters in the area.
Leaked Nomination Information
The party also raised alarms over claims made by the NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who reportedly disclosed that he had access to the nomination documents of both the NDC parliamentary candidate and an independent candidate during a radio interview on Osimpa FM.
Afenyo-Markin allegedly threatened to take legal action against individuals who endorsed the independent candidate, raising concerns within the NDC about how such sensitive electoral information had been leaked.
The NDC demanded an investigation into how their opponent gained access to these confidential documents, which should only be under the custody of the Electoral Commission.
Voter Transfer Discrepancies
Another significant issue raised in the petition involves a discrepancy of 3,009 votes in the Effutu voters’ register.
According to the NDC, during the recent voter transfer period, data provided by the Electoral Commission’s headquarters showed a bloated figure compared to the daily reports issued to political parties by the local district office.
The NDC argued that this discrepancy casts doubt on the accuracy of the voters’ register and could undermine the credibility of the election results.
NDC’s Demands
The Effutu NDC is calling for a response to their previous petition regarding the voter transfer discrepancies.
They are also requesting a full-scale investigation into the leakage of the nomination documents and urging the paramount chief to intervene in calling the MCE and the district officer of the Electoral Commission to order.
The NDC emphasized that failure to address these issues could lead them to take legitimate actions to protect their interests in the constituency.
Given Nenyig Ghartey VII’s role as the traditional administrative head and Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, the NDC expressed confidence that his intervention would help prevent any escalation of political tension in the constituency ahead of the elections.