Stop shifting your position and be consistent –Mahama tackles EC

President-elect John Dramani Mahama has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to uphold fairness, consistency, and integrity in its decision-making, particularly regarding the handling of disputed parliamentary results.

His remarks came in response to the EC’s announcement that it would not uphold the declaration of parliamentary results in nine constituencies, citing that some of the results were declared under duress. The affected constituencies include Ablekuma North, Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Techiman South, and Dome-Kwabenya, among others.

Mahama criticized what he described as the EC’s selective application of rules, noting that similar cases had been treated differently in the past.

He pointed to the Techiman South constituency during the 2020 general elections, where the EC declared the results despite reports of irregularities and objections from stakeholders.

The president-elect also questioned the commission’s decision to suspend the re-collation of results in the nine constituencies, citing procedural breaches and threats to EC staff. He argued that such inconsistencies undermine public trust in the EC and threaten the credibility of the electoral process.

Speaking to African ambassadors and high commissioners on Friday, December 20, Mahama stressed the importance of transparency and fairness in the EC’s operations. He called on the commission to engage all political stakeholders and ensure that justice is not only done, but is also perceived to be done.

Mahama further emphasized the need for strong mechanisms to protect Ghana’s democratic institutions, stressing that the EC’s actions must inspire confidence both domestically and internationally.

“On the outstanding issues arising from the elections, particularly the nine disputed constituencies, we believe the EC must act with principle,” Mahama said. “You cannot change the rules when it suits you, applying different standards depending on the situation. In the case of Techiman South in 2020, the declaration was made under duress, with soldiers in the collation room and chaos during the process. Despite similar concerns raised, the EC refused calls for re-collation, saying those who were dissatisfied should seek redress in court.”

Mahama concluded, “We cannot allow the goalposts to shift depending on who is affected. There must be fairness and justice in everything we do.”