EC hired I.T experts to manipulate electoral figures – Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Member of Parliament for Manhyia in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has hinted that the Electoral Commission (EC) hired some I.T professionals to manipulate electoral figures in the Eastern and Ashanti regions, during the December polls.

According to him, the hired personnel were tasked to do the bidding of the EC in order to produce corresponding results.

He noted: “That is the information we are picking up; I picked that up from Eastern region last night and then the Ashanti region on Tuesday morning. Somebody who won an election has been short-changed and our investigators are on the ground and this is what we are picking up. It is up to the EC to come out that the four I.T guys who are in the Ashanti Region and the two I.T guys who are in the Eastern Region and elsewhere are not from them?”

“Very recently you heard that they were calling their polling agents and one of the Deputy Commissioner’s came out to say that, 'yes we were calling our agents'; meanwhile the Chairman said there was nothing like that. So the information flow coming out of the EC itself contradicting themselves, raises more questions and I think if they say they have done everything overboard why the hasty meetings and callings and all these things going on.”

Hon. Opoku Prempeh, who was also the Director of elections for the New Patriotic Party, further stated that the party is piecing together evidence to buttress its claims and therefore implored the EC to absolve itself from the allegations.

“There are a lot of signals that are coming out of the Electoral Commission and they must come out clear and answer those questions,” he said.

He questioned, "Why would somebody intend to burn ballot boxes, meetings had been had and people have reported to some of us that these are the intentions of some people in certain regions to burn ballot boxes. Is that the interpretation of meeting party agents without going through the party?"

Rebutting the claims by the NPP MP, the Propaganda Secretary and Member of Parliament-elect for the National Democratic Congress, Richard Quarshiga, described as "cooked up stories” the comments by Hon. Opoku Prempeh and stressed that the NPP must concede defeat in good faith.

“Nana Akufo-Addo knows that he has lost the election and the NPP knows too well that they have lost the elections, they should be humble enough to accept the fact that they have lost the elections.”

He also queried the veracity of the claims by the NPP.

“Are they saying that the NDC went to bribe all the media houses that called the elections for the NDC even before the Electoral Commission came out with its declaration?”

From: Adu Gyamfi Ameyaw