The Leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is asking the Electoral Commission to organize a new Inter Party Adisory Council (IPAC) meeting.
According to the largest opposition party, decisions of Wednesday's IPAC meeting does not bind them since they did not take part in the said meeting.
Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, General Secretary of the party, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia explained that since the Electoral Commission has admitted to the late invitation to them for the IPAC meeting, they should as well admit that what ever decision they took at the IPAC meeting cannot hold.
"As a major political party, how do you expect us to admit that the decision they took in our absence is still binding, no, they have to arrange a new meeting for us to discuss the issues again," he said.
"It is unfortunate and the level of incompetence that has been exhibited by this EC is legendary. Never in the history of the working of the EC has political parties received an invitation to an important meeting such as this the way we received it.
“We’ve worked with Dr Afari Gyan, we’ve worked with Madam Charlotte Osei, this has not happened,” he added.
He said if the Electoral Commission continue this way, they cannot be trusted for a credible elections.
The Electoral Commission has apologized to political parties after a letter for an Inter-Party Advisory Committee Meeting (IPAC) for Wednesday at 1pm arrived late.
The apology comes after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) boycotted the meeting, the first of its kind since Madam Jean Mensa was appointed Chair.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss plans for the organisation of a limited voter registration exercise ahead of a referendum for the setting up of new regions later this year.
But the NDC was absent at the meeting.
Its National Organiser, Mr Kofi Adams, explained that the party was absent because it received the invitation to the meeting very late.
In an interview with Peace FM News Wednesday evening, he said the NDC received the invitation at 12:14 p.m., while the meeting was slated for 1 p.m.
“The invitation was not just late; we received it on the day of the meeting. This was not an emergency meeting for us to be invited through an emergency process,’’ he said.
Meeting Conclusion
The EC is expected to organise the referendum on November 27, 2018.
Some of the programmes outlined for the referendum are a limited registration exercise that will be done from September 16 to 25 and the laying of a Constitutional Instrument (CI) which will give legal backing to the referendum before Parliament.
The referendum will be held in only the proposed areas where the Justice Stephen A. Brobbey Commission recommended for the creation of new regions.
Political Parties Present
According to sources, Mrs Mensa was out of the country and was, therefore, not present at the meeting, but her two deputies, Mr Bossman Asare and Mr Samuel Tettey, were present.
Political parties represented at the meeting included the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP).
Some of the representatives of the parties who were seen at the EC headquarters for the meeting were Mr John Boadu, the General Secretary of the NPP; Mr Peter Mac Manu, a former National Chairman of the NPP, and Mr O.B. Amoah, the NPP MP for Akuapem South, all representing the NPP; Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, the National Chairman of the PPP, and Mr T. D. Ward-Brew, the Founder and Leader of the DPP.
Others were Mr James Kwabena Bomfeh, representing the CPP, and Madam Akua Donkor, the Founder of the GFP.
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