The EC must act in a principled manner – Mahama

In the wake of ongoing election disputes, incoming President John Dramani Mahama has issued a stern warning to the Electoral Commission (EC), urging them to maintain consistency and act in a principled manner as they handle the nine constituencies currently in dispute.

Speaking to African ambassadors and high commissioners on Friday, December 20, Mahama emphasized the importance of transparency and fairness in the electoral process, stressing that the EC must not change the rules to suit different circumstances.

“The few outstanding issues arising from the elections where nine constituencies are in dispute and we think that the EC should act in a principled manner,” Mahama stated.

His words come amid mounting concerns regarding the conduct of the EC in handling post-election matters, particularly concerning the contested constituencies.

Mahama further cautioned the EC against applying different standards when dealing with election-related issues.

“You cannot change the rules when it suits you and apply different rules when different circumstances exist,” he remarked, referring to past events where the EC had made decisions that sparked controversy and left many questioning the fairness of its actions.

One notable instance that Mahama pointed out was the 2020 elections, where the EC clearly declared that once an election result was declared, it was not the responsibility of the commission to adjudicate the matter. Instead, the commission stated that the courts were the appropriate forum for resolving election disputes.

Mahama raised concerns over how the rules had seemed to shift since then.

“There was a particular case in 2020, and the EC came out clearly that if a declaration had been made, it was not the duty of the commission to adjudicate it and the court was the right place to go,” Mahama noted.

This statement is significant, especially as disputes over election results continue to simmer in the aftermath of Ghana’s most recent elections.

The post The EC must act in a principled manner – Mahama appeared first on MyNewsGh.