By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (VR), Dec. 5, GNA-The Electoral Commission (EC) at Keta in the Volta Region has debunked a report released by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), which alleged that political parties were involved in votes buying near polling station during special voting exercise.
Mr Roger Avorgbedor, the Electoral Commission’s Presiding Officer at Keta, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said that CODEO reports about vote buying during the special voting exercise held at the premises of Keta Municipal Assembly on Monday, December 2, were untrue and cannot be substantiated.
“All political party agents were around since the start of the special voting, and no one has ever come here to either share money or any items to the voters to influence their votes,” he stated.
He said that the Electoral Commission at Keta would have been the first institution to lodge a report, should such an incident occurr, and the culprits would have been arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
Mr Avorgbedor cautioned CODEO to retract the report and apologise to the public since the reports were unfounded and misleading which could cause unforeseen and unnecessary tension during the general election on December 7.
“If political parties were involved in vote buying elsewhere, we at the polling station don’t know, but to say money or whatever were shared near the polling station was not true as reported by CODEO.”
He said that “GNA you were here when the special voting ended, you spoke to all party agents present, if what CODEO reported were true, the agents and other observers would have informed you accordingly.”
He said the EC at Keta has dissociated itself from such reckless and unfortunate report and the public should remain calm and stay focused toward the general election on Saturday, December 7.
Meanwhile, 211 registered special voters, representing 91 percent, exercised their franchise out of 233 expected eligible voters during the special poll held at Keta.
GNA also understand that all voting materials necessary for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections were ready and would be distributed to the 128 polling centres within the constituency on December 7, for full participation of eligible voters.
GNA