Why is hot air gushing out like putrid exhaust fumes?
Who are those strutting their stuff in the hot sun, attempting to annex a seat that does not belong to them?
Amid the tantrums, where is the voice of the arbiter?
Where is the bell of the institution mandated to deal fairly with all sides and bring an end to the seeming stalemate?
Where is the voice of decision-making?
We all watch from the sidelines, not wanting to be accused of interfering with the constitutional mandate of the referee—wishing to be perceived as bastions of democracy who do not interfere with the authority of an EC Chairperson who dances kpanlogo to the sound of the fontomfrom drums.
But the voice of the people must be heard on the soil of Ablekuma North. The cry of her constituents must be regarded by the matriarchs and patriarchs of the land.
The whip must be cracked by the spirit of the nation. The scales of Lady Justice must stand balanced, even as her blindfold signifies the absence of bias.
So let us all speak. Let us tell the EC that enough is enough. Let us tell Jean Mensa to declare a re-run in the sixty-two (62) polling stations of the Ablekuma North Constituency for peace to prevail.
REWIND
On December 7 and 8, 2024, violence at the Ablekuma North collation centre led to the destruction of a number of carbonated pink sheets.
Subsequently, carbonated pink sheets were used to collate results from 219 out of the 281 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency.
At that point, there were no more carbonated pink sheets—neither from the EC, the NDC, nor the NPP—to continue the collation exercise.
The NPP then attempted to present scanned pink sheets to proceed with the collation.
Dr. Benjamin Bannor Bio, EC Director of Elections, declared that scanned pink sheets would not be accepted.
However, on January 5, 2025, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, EC Director for Training, changed the directive and instructed the Returning Officer to accept the NPP’s scanned pink sheets.
On what authority does a Director for Training overturn the decision of the Director of Elections at this critical stage of the electoral process?
Subsequently, 42 scanned pink sheets were wrongfully accepted by the EC for collation—despite serious opposition from the NDC.
Then, in a swift change of tactics, on January 6, 2025, thirteen (13) Ablekuma North Presiding Officers who oversaw some of the remaining polling stations during the December 7 election were brought by the EC to the collation centre to validate the NPP’s scanned pink sheets.
On January 8, four (4) more presiding officers were brought in.
Yet, some of these 17 Presiding Officers were unable to validate the results on the scanned pink sheets for their respective polling stations.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Is it lawful—or part of EC training—to use scanned pink sheets from one political party to collate election results, when both the EC and the other party have no carbonated pink sheets to validate those figures?
In such a situation, is it fair for the EC to declare the election in favour of the political party that provided the scanned pink sheets?
What kind of audacity makes this acceptable?
How can the EC claim, in a bold-faced lie, that the decision to accept the scanned pink sheets was unanimously agreed upon by all parties?
The swashbuckling display led by the EC Chairperson and her two deputies is not acceptable.
No ground stomping, no walk from Timbuktu to Accra, no swimming through shark-filled oceans, no unpalatable grunting from a wounded elephant and its associates, will ever make what is wrong… right.
Adukwei, order a re-run in the sixty-two (62) polling stations of Ablekuma North where NPP scanned pink sheets were used for collation… and stop wasting our time with diabolic drama.
I am for peace.
Shalom.