Ben Ephson is a pollster and veteran journalist
• The NDC must wait for CHRAJ’s report on security-related incidents during the 2020 elections
• The party has in recent times slammed the EC over the ‘poor’ conduct of the polls
• They have backed a call for the Police to probe an excess ballot printing allegation
The opposition National Democratic Congress is misdirecting its concerns with relation to some issues they identified with the conduct of the 2020 General Elections.
This is according to Ben Ephson, veteran journalist and pollster, who insists that on security-related concerns that the party had raised, is currently the subject of a probe by a constitutionally mandated body, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, CHRAJ.
He was referring to a petition submitted to CHRAJ in which two NDC MPs are demanding a probe into the deaths that occurred during the election. CHRAJ has subsequently directed the Ministries of Defence and Interior as well as the Chief of Defense Staff and the Inspector-General of Police, to respond to some queries.
“Two NDC MPs have petitioned CHRAJ and they (CHRAJ) have directed Ministers of Defense, Interior, CDS and IGP to explain the deaths. So when the NDC keeps on pointing fingers at the EC, I don’t get it at all.
“That is the position I have as regards the NDC always asking the EC to explain. Your MPs have gone to CHRAJ, CHRAJ has directed. Let’s wait and see what happens,” he stressed.
“The problem I have with the NDC is that they are misdirecting their concerns. Many people want to see these things not repeated. So when EC is not in charge of security and you ask EC to explain (security issues) I don’t get it,” Ephson emphasized.
The NDC has been on a collision course with the Electoral Commission, EC, accusing the elections management body of overseeing a fraudulent and violent process.
The NDC’s gripe with the EC is centered on among others, the issue of a million excess ballots printed before the elections but Ephson said about that allegation: “…the NDC is going to provide evidence, I think that the evidence that they have provided are those that everybody has seen.”
He also accused the party of failing to take advantage of their election petition before the Supreme Court to ask for Police to probe irregularities, adding that it was a good development that the EC had itself asked the Police to probe and that they are going to cooperate so he is keenly waiting.
Ephson also slammed the NDC for going to the court without the basic election record known as pink sheets. He avers that if they had presented their copies to the Court, an audit would have been carried out, the basis on which the justices would have decided on the case.