Security and safety analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has criticized the Electoral Commission's recent decision to eliminate the use of indelible ink in the upcoming 2024 general election.

Dr. Bonaa argued that the decision appears to lack careful consideration, emphasizing that indelible ink plays a pivotal role in ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, Dr. Bonaa highlighted the prevailing issues of mistrust, distrust, and suspicion that often surround public elections in the country.

He expressed concerns that abandoning indelible ink, a widely recognized tool for preventing double voting, might escalate tensions on election day.

“It looks like the policy is not a well thought through policy. If you look at the issues we have when it comes to public elections in this country, they are issues to do with mistrust, distrust and suspicion.

"You don’t want a situation where you are going to have an all-out confrontation amongst the citizenry vis-a-vis the EC officials and the security officers who are supposed to be manning the polling centres.

“So to say that the indelible ink is not going to be used again is almost saying you are calling for an all-out war on election day because looking at the issues going into election 2024, there is suspicion everywhere.

"NPP is telling us it wants to break the 8, NDC says it is staging a comeback and you already have some former officers or members of the NPP going independent and also threatening to win the elections. So if anybody tells you that 2024 elections is going to be quiet, that person probably does not understand what they are saying,” he stated.

Dr. Bonaa cautioned against underestimating the potential for confrontations between citizens, Electoral Commission officials, and security officers responsible for managing polling centers.

He suggested that signaling the discontinuation of indelible ink could be interpreted as inviting chaos, particularly given the heightened political atmosphere leading up to the 2024 elections.

The Electoral Commission recently announced at a press conference that indelible ink would no longer be required, as a biometric authentication system would replace it. The system is being piloted during the ongoing district elections.

EC Chairperson Jean Mensa expressed confidence in the new system, stating that once a voter is verified, they cannot come back for a second attempt.

Despite the EC's assurances, Dr. Bonaa argued that the decision might complicate the work of security agencies on election day. He called for the Electoral Commission to reconsider its stance and emphasized the importance of conducting extensive stakeholder engagement before making decisions with significant security implications.

Dr. Bonaa acknowledged the EC's independence but urged them to prioritize comprehensive discussions with relevant stakeholders to maintain public trust in the electoral process.