The Electoral Commission (EC) has denied disenfranchising the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe (SALL) during the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The EC reiterated its stance, urging the public to disregard the claims made by Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa, who continues to perpetuate the false narrative that the EC disenfranchised SALL voters in 2020.
Despite this, the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe (SALL) were indeed disenfranchised during the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has accused the EC of being responsible for this disenfranchisement, adding that insufficient efforts were made to ensure the participation of SALL residents in the voting process.
The EC, however, refuted these allegations in a statement issued on Wednesday, May 15, asserting that it did not disenfranchise the residents of the newly formed Guan Constituency at any point.
Franklin Cudjoe argued that, the EC’s December 6, 2020 statement that excluded “voters in the SALL Traditional Areas from voting in the election for a Member of Parliament was a flagrant violation of the right to vote of the said voters, which amounts to being disenfranchised.”
However, the EC in its statement issued on Thursday, May 16, once again denied that it disfranchised the people of SALL, stressing that it is not in the interest of the Commission to disenfranchise any citizen
“The General Public is urged once again to ignore the campaign of Franklin Cudjoe to perpetuate the false narrative that the Electoral Commission disenfranchised SALL voters in 2020.
“As indicated in our previous statement, it is not in the interest of the Commission to disenfranchise any citizen. The blame does not lie with the Electoral Commission which only performed its constitutional duties following the creation of the Guan District. The discerning public can, based on the facts outlined above, ascertain the truth for themselves.
“In spite of the Electoral Commission’s Press Statement on 15th May 2024, backed by documents, refuting the false and unfounded allegations by the President of Imani to the effect that, the Commission disenfranchised voters in the Guan Constituency (SALL), Franklin Cudjoe has continued to misinform and mislead the public by making reference to a public statement issued by the Commission on 6th December 2020.
“We note also that other citizens, such as Prof. Kwaku Asare, have also made reference to the 6th December 2020 statement issued by the Commission.”
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