Former President and 2024 Presidential Candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has accused Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) of actively working to assist the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in manipulating the December 7 general elections.
In a Facebook statement less than 24 hours before polls open, Mahama alleged that the Commission’s actions are undermining the integrity of the elections, but expressed confidence that Ghanaians will vote for change and protect their ballots.
According to Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has uncovered instances of exposed validating stamps, which he claims are critical to an alleged plot to legitimize fake ballots printed by the ruling party. He further stated that the EC has been unresponsive to the party’s calls to issue clear directives preventing its staff from disclosing these validating stamps ahead of election day.
“Since Thursday night, the National Democratic Congress has reported several cases of exposed Validating Stamps to the Commission, yet they have refused to issue a clear and unambiguous directive to stop their staff from disclosing the identities and details of the validating stamps,” Mahama said.
“Such an exposure allows the party that has printed fake ballot papers to produce similar stamps to use in order to achieve a semblance of validity.”
The former president also cited an internal EC memo dated October 10, 2024, which he claims confirms a “well-calculated plot” to facilitate ballot stuffing by exposing the serial numbers of the validating stamps. He warned that such actions threaten to compromise the credibility of the elections and called for immediate intervention.
“I call on the National Peace Council, Religious and Traditional Leaders, Civil Society, the International Community, and the Election Observer Missions to call the Electoral Commission to order,” he stated.
Mahama’s allegations come amidst heightened tensions ahead of the elections, with both major political parties raising concerns about potential electoral malpractices.
The statement has sparked calls for transparency and accountability from various stakeholders, including election observers and civil society groups.
