The Electoral Commission (EC) has provided further details regarding its decision to move the collation centres for 12 constituencies to the National Police Training School (NPTS).

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According to the EC, this action followed recommendations from the Ghana Police Service to safeguard the safety of its personnel and preserve the integrity of the electoral process amid growing threats and disruptions.

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In a press briefing on Thursday, December 19, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa highlighted that constituencies like Ablekuma North and Okaikwei Central were particularly affected by this decision.

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She emphasized that relocating the collation centres to the EC’s Greater Accra Regional Office was crucial in ensuring the security of staff and preventing any potential interference in the election process.

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Jean Mensa further explained that in order to maintain transparency, the EC had informed all political parties about the relocation and issued specific guidelines on how they could be represented at the new collation centres.

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However, she noted that these guidelines were not adhered to, which ultimately led to the suspension of the process.

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“In a number of instances, our staff have been threatened with death and forced to declare outcomes without adhering to the processes governing collation. It is instructive to note that the EC has held discussions with the Ghana Police Service and had requested protection in areas where collations were supposed to have continued but some of our staff were still threatened.

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“Due to the threats faced by our staff and the disruption of the processes, the EC agreed with the Ghana Police Service to relocate the collation centres from the Ablekuma North and Okaikwei Central constituencies to the EC’s Greater Accra Regional Office, and it was agreed that each political party will present two agents, and the political parties were notified accordingly,” she added.

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