The Electoral Commission (EC) has said that following the withdrawal of the two separate court injunction applications filed by Dr Kwabena Duffuor and Mr Egdar Asamoah Boateng, it has decided to supervise the presidential and parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Saturday, May 13.
A statement issued by the Chair of the Commission Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa said ” Following the discontinuance of the application for an injunction seeking to restrain the EC from conducting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries by the applicants namely Dr Kwabena Duffuor and Mr Edgar Asamoah Boateng, all legal barriers have been removed and the way is now clear for the Commission to supervise the Conduct of the NDC primaries slated for Saturday 13th May 2023.
“The Commission has this afternoon held meetings with the leadership of the NDC to finalize modalities for the conduct of the elections. Arrangements are being put in place to ensure credible and transparent elections.”
Prior to the EC’s statement, the National Chairman of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia had indicated that the party was expecting the Commission to conduct the primaries because the court issues had been dealt with.
Mr Asiedu Nketia said executives of the party met the EC officials and explained to them that the matter in court had been resolved therefore, they are expecting the elections management body to be present and conduct the polls for them.
He explained that if anything at all should affect the polls, it should be the dispatch of electoral materials to all the voting centers but he said the party has made arrangements to transport all the materials in record time for the exercise to come on.
“We are looking forward to them performing their obligation,” he said at a press conference in Accra on Friday, May 12.
“But the election directorate of the party should be on standby,” he added
For his part, the General Secretary of the NDC Fifi Kwetey has said that the Election Directorate of the party would take full control over the conduct of the primaries if the EC is unable to show up.
He said “The election directorate of the NDC will take full charge of the elections if the EC is unable to show up.”
He stressed, “if the EC is unable to be present to conduct this primary, we will ensure that the election directorate will be in charge.”
The EC earlier announced that it was not going to supervise the elections until after the determination of the injunction case filed at the High Court by a flagbearer aspirant Dr Kwabena Duffuor.
The EC said it did not want to be in contempt of the court hence the decision to pull out of the polls.
The EC made this known on Wednesday, May 10, after it met agents of all the three flagbearer hopefuls of the NDC.
“However, yesterday we were served with an Application for Interlocutory Injunction seeking to restrain the Commission from supervising the conduct of the Presidential and Parliamentary Primaries due to the alleged anomalies with the register.
“Gentlemen, in order that we are not cited for contempt, the Commission has taken the decision not to supervise the conduct of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections until after the determination of the case by the court,” the Chairperson of the Commission, Madam Jean Mensa said.
