Dr Afari Gyan
The controversy surrounding the 2012 general elections refuses to die with the unearthing of one anomaly or the other each passing week.
Now it appears the Electoral Commission (EC) has changed the figures put out in the public domain when it announced the results of the presidential elections on December 9, 2012.
Apart from the allegations of fraud and manipulation of figures made by the various opposition parties including the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which has threatened legal action against the Electoral Commission,DAILY GUIDE has uncovered some discrepancies in the figures declared by Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan on December 9th as the truly certified results of the elections and another posted on the official website of the Commission, www.ec.gov.gh.
The alleged changes involve a difference in the total number of ‘registered voters’ and the percentage ‘turnout’ during the polls.
Whilst Dr. Afari-Gyan announced a total of 14,158,890 as ‘registered voters’ on the day he declared the results of the elections, a visit to the EC’s official website indicates that a total of 14,031,793 Ghanaians registered to vote with a difference of a whopping 127, 097.
During the declaration of results, Chairman of the EC indicated a total of 10, 995, 262 as ‘valid votes’, 251, 720 as ‘rejected votes’, 11, 246, 982 as ‘votes cast’, 14, 158, 890 as ‘registered voters’ and 275 constituencies with a turnout of 79.43%.
Different Strokes
However, these figures are entirely different from the one on its own website which indicates that a percentage of people who turned out to vote and actually voted were 80.15%.
This latest twists have started raising mind-boggling questions and suspicion among political observers, especially political parties who have expressed concerns about some of the figures declared by the EC as the truly certified results.
This intermittent change in figures on the website of the EC is what keeps people wondering whether it is a deliberate ploy to confuse Ghanaians or some unseen hands are at play.
“The EC has indicated that it has gazetted the results of the presidential elections; but we are not sure of the results gazette,” a source told DAILY GUIDE yesterday.
What is not clear is where these new figures on the official website of the EC are being generated from and whether or not they affected the outcome of the polls, especially the presidential elections, in one way or the other.
Effect
Per the figures obtained by President John Dramani Mahama who was declared winner of the elections, with 5,574,761 votes representing 50.70% and that of his closest contender Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP’s 5,248,898 votes representing 47.74%, it is believed that the elections could have probably headed for a runoff if the EC had investigated allegations of fraud that characterized the elections.
Assuming without admitting that the extra 127, 097 people added to the total ‘registered voters’ voted for the NPP’s presidential candidate or any of the candidates of the other political parties including Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) who secured 64, 362, representing 0.59% of the votes, Dr Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), 38, 223, representing 0.35%, Hassan Ayariga of the People’s National Convention (PNC), 0.22%, Abu Sakara of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), 20, 323 representing 0.18%, independent candidate, Jacob Osei Yeboah, 15, 201 representing 0.14% and Akwasi Addai Odike of the United Front Party (UFP) 8, 877 representing 0.08%, it would have reduced the 50.70% margin of incumbent President Mahama to less than the 50 plus one votes required to win the election.
However, the leadership of the largest opposition party in the country, NPP has indicated its intention to petition the Supreme Court over the election result.
It has since been collating and tabulating certified figures on its ‘blue sheet’ to gather enough evidence to back its claim of fraud against the EC.
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