Stop shifting your position, be consistent – Mahama tells EC

President-elect John Dramani Mahama has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to demonstrate fairness, consistency, and integrity in its decisions, particularly concerning the management of disputed parliamentary results.

His comments follow the EC’s announcement that it would not uphold the declaration of parliamentary results in nine constituencies, stating that some of the declarations were made under duress. The affected constituencies include Ablekuma North, Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Techiman South, and Dome-Kwabenya, among others.

Mahama criticized what he described as the EC’s selective application of rules, arguing that similar cases have been handled differently in the past.

He cited the example of Techiman South during the 2020 general elections, where the EC declared the parliamentary results despite reported irregularities and objections from stakeholders.

He questioned the commission’s decision to suspend the re-collation of results in the nine constituencies, citing procedural breaches and threats to its staff. According to Mahama, such inconsistencies erode public trust in the EC and jeopardize the credibility of the electoral process.

Speaking to African ambassadors and high commissioners on Friday, December 20, Mahama emphasized the importance of transparency and fairness in the EC’s operations. He called on the commission to engage all political stakeholders and ensure that justice is not only done but is seen to be done.

Mahama also reiterated the need for robust mechanisms to safeguard Ghana’s democratic institutions, adding that the EC’s actions must inspire confidence among the citizenry and the international community.

“The few outstanding issues arising from the elections where nine constituencies are in dispute and we think that the EC should act in a principled manner.

“You cannot change the rules when it suits you and apply different rules when different circumstances exist. There was a particular case in 2020 and the EC came out clearly that if a declaration had been made, it was not the duty of the commission to adjudicate it and the court was the right place to go.

“So, if a declaration has been made, it doesn’t matter under what circumstance; they are saying some are under duress. In the case of Techiman South, it was under duress with soldiers in the collation room. There was chaos in the collation when the declaration was made.

“The same arguments were passed that there should be a re-collation, and the EC said no… In the same circumstances, declarations have been made. If the people have any grievances, they must go to court and address those grievances there.

“We don’t think the goalpost should be shifted depending on who is at the other end of the stick. We think that there must be fairness and justice in everything we do.”