The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed the Electoral Commission’s claims that the party sanctioned the logo the latter used on the 2016 parliamentary ballot sheets.
Confusion broke out at the Ashanti Regional office of the EC on Monday, after the NPP refused to accept the parliamentary ballot papers sent there for the upcoming polls.
According to the party, its logo on the printed ballot did not have the party’s initials as the other parties had.
But the EC subsequently issued a statement stating that it did not commit an error since other parties including the NPP were part of all processes as far as the printing of ballot papers was concerned.
“During the printing process, not only did the party have its representatives at the printing houses at all material times, high ranking officers of the party visited the printing houses regularly to monitor the process. At no point did they raise any objections about the NPP’s logo as it was being printed,” the statement said.
The NPP has however issued another statement, denying the EC’s assertion that the NPP approved the removal of party initials from the parliamentary notice of poll.
“At no point did NPP supervisors at the printing houses express satisfaction/approval over the removal of Party initials from the Parliamentary Notice of Poll and ballot sheets as is being suggested by the Electoral Commission.”
We refer to the statement issued by the Electoral Commission on the evening of Monday, 14th of November 2016 in an apparent response to concerns expressed by some members of the NPP over the omission of the party’s initials beneath it’s symbol on the Parliamentary ballot sheets and wish to point out the obvious distortions and untruths therein.
1. The Electoral Commission printed Parliamentary Notices of Polls with different inscriptions in the blue portion of the NPP logo/symbol.
2. Whilst for instance the Notice of Poll in the Asante Akyem Nouth Constituency had in the blue portion of the NPP symbol “MOTTO: DEVELOPMENT IN FREEDOM”, another one for Kwadaso had ” NPP: DEVELOPMENT IN FREEDOM”. But both had NPP written beneath the symbol and all of these are public and copies can be verified.
3. The NPP supervisors quickly drew the Commission’s attention at the printing houses to correct this anomaly. In doing this correction, the NPP initials beneath the symbol was also removed.
4. We again noticed that and quickly asked for it to be reinstated, only to be informed by the Commission’s supervisors that it was too late for the initials to be included.
5. The Commission further took the position that it had not erred in removing the “NPP” initials placed beneath the symbol since the NPP official logo/symbol had no such initials included in it.
6. It however made a surprise turn around in bringing the NPP initial back on the Presidential Notice of Poll and ballot sheets.
7. At no point did NPP supervisors at the printing houses express satisfaction/approval over the removal of Party initials from the Parliamentary Notice of Poll and ballot sheets as is being suggested by the Electoral Commission.
We urge party members/supporters and voters in general to remain calm and focused on the Great Elephant symbol. 3y3 Osono.
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