Chairperson of the Electoral Commission(EC), Jean Mensa, says the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) return to the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) has been very fruitful, as the party has offered valuable input to improve Ghana’s electoral system.
The NDC boycotted IPAC meetings since March 2020 after the party raised questions about the posture of the Electoral Commission.
Their return, Madam Mensa says, has been very profitable.
Speaking to JoyNews on June 26, she said “I think it is great to have the NDC back. As you yourself mentioned they have been missing at IPAC for a long time. We are well aware that they are very important stakeholders in our body politics.
“They are the main opposition and they constitute a formidable force. It is a great benefit to all of us that they have returned to IPAC.”
She explained that since the party’s return, they have offered feedback that the EC has adopted to help run the just-ended registration exercise.
“The discussions have been going on very well. They have been very constructive. It has been valuable feedback that has come from the NDC as well as some of the other parties… so for the just-ended registration exercise there was valuable feedback that the NDC brought on board and we have considered quite a number of ideas and the suggestions and we have taken them on board so we continue to engage in a constructive way,” she added.
On April 21, 2021, NDC rejected an invitation from the EC to attend an IPAC meeting.
The party, in a press release, stated that it refuses to join the meeting held to review the 2020 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections because of what it believes is the EC Chair, Jean Mensa’s display of bias, lack of candour and duplicity during the election period.
IPAC meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, 2021.
Although the Supreme Court ruled against the NDC on the election petition, the party stated that they still believe the election was rigged by the EC.
After countless calls, the NDC publicly committed to rejoining IPAC in December 2023.
Following this commitment, the NDC has participated in IPAC meetings from January 22 till date.
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