Some key administrative work towards the gazetting of the 2024 general election results is on hold as most Electoral Commission (EC) staff have decided to stay away from work for fear of attacks by thugs seeking to seize control of the commission.
The commission’s headquarters is one of several state institutions that came under attack on Tuesday, December 11, leaving staff traumatized.
A staff member of the commission, who spoke to Joy News on condition of anonymity, said that the thugs who attacked the commission were dressed in National Democratic Congress (NDC) shirts.
According to the person, the irate youth invaded some of their offices.
“Yesterday [Tuesday], a group of people dressed in NDC shirts, in two Land Cruisers and with people on motorbikes chanting and singing, came to the office. They drove through the police barrier coming from the Maritime Authority section of the road, drove straight into our compound, and went into our underground storage where we keep some items. They got out of the cars and went into our reception area.”
The staff member added that the thugs attempted to disturb the EC’s security personnel who were on post, but upon realizing that the security personnel were armed, they withdrew. “We were actually happy that we had security, police officers, on our compound.”
The situation has since created fear and panic among the commission’s staff, leading many of them to refuse to report to work. As a result, the final collation of the nine disputed constituencies has been affected, and the final administrative work required to conclude the collation and gazette the election results is on hold.
The staff member disclosed, “As I speak to you today, many of us have decided not to go to work because some of us are still receiving the parliamentary results from areas where the results are being disputed. We have to complete these tasks before gazetting the parliamentary results. As for me, I have decided not to go because I don’t know what will happen next.”
The reason behind the thugs’ attempt to invade the facility remains unknown. The staff member said that although the aggressive group checked the vehicles belonging to the commission, they did not loot anything or harm anyone.
Following Saturday’s polls, some parts of the country continue to experience post-election violence. The irate groups are alleged to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who are the winners of the election.
For the past three days, some state institutions, including the Forestry Commission in Sunyani, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in Accra, EC offices in some districts, and the Metro Mass Transport yard at Kaneshie, have been invaded by thugs.
Some persons have also looted state assets such as computers, farming inputs, and other items.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has arrested 106 perpetrators who are connected to the violence across the nation.
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