We are not here to mince words. The recent theft of critical biometric equipment under the supposed ‘secure’ watch of the Electoral Commission is not just an alarming oversight; it is a clear and present danger to our electoral integrity.
This is not a trivial matter of misplaced property—it is a dire warning that our electoral safeguards are being compromised under our very noses.
How can we place our trust in an Electoral Commission that fails to safeguard the very equipment essential to fulfilling its mandate in a transparent and accountable manner? How can we stand by while the very mechanisms meant to guarantee fair play are stolen away, possibly skewing the electoral landscape in favor of those currently clutching the reins of power?
This is an outright assault on our rights as voters and on the democratic principles that our forebears fought tirelessly to establish. The lackadaisical attitude and dismissive responses from the EC officials in the face of such a breach are unacceptable and insult the intelligence of every Ghanaian.
We demand immediate and decisive action from the Electoral Commission. The time for excuses is over; the time for transparency, accountability, and rectification is now. Ghana is watching, and the world is watching. The integrity of our elections and the future of our democracy hang in the balance. Let us be clear: we will accept nothing less than a full restoration of total security for all EC logistical equipment for the upcoming elections, a thorough investigation, and complete accountability. Anything short of this is an affront to our nation’s future.
We are gathered here today not just to express our outrage but to ignite a collective demand for immediate and sweeping corrective measures. The Electoral Commission must act, and it must act now!
Before we discuss the substantive issues, I want to publicly appreciate the patriotic Ghanaian whistleblowers across various sectors who provide the NDC with vital information about blatant aberrations, abuse of power, and organized thievery within the public sector under the non-performing Akufo-Addo Bawumia government.
We all know how this non-performing and incompetent NPP government has inflicted unprecedented hardships on Ghanaians. With the staggering levels of unemployment, high inflation, a dislodged exchange rate, hikes in transportation fares and fuel prices, excruciating port charges and taxes, and crude financial haircuts that continue to impact pensioners and the middle class in particular, one would have expected the NPP government to have resigned to fate and begun preparing their handing-over notes.
But not this NPP government! How unfortunate?
They are bent on hanging onto power at all costs! But they will fail!
The government has taken deliberate ‘strategic’ steps toward their ignominious goal of winning elections at all costs by ensuring institutional decay in our dear country. They have appointed rabidly partisan and biased members of the NPP to independent institutions such as the judiciary and the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, it is unsurprising to the NDC, and we believe to many decent-minded Ghanaians, that significant components of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits could be stolen at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission of Ghana under lock with CCTV surveillance.
We wish to emphasize that, but for the vigilance of a courageous whistleblower who alerted the NDC, and the subsequent probing by our parliamentarians in Parliament, the shocking theft of crucial biometric equipment at the EC’s heavily surveilled headquarters would have remained shrouded in secrecy. This raises deeply troubling questions: Why did the Electoral Commission not disclose this significant breach of security? What prevented them from being upfront with the political parties, the Ghanaian public, and our development partners about such a critical incident?
How can we trust an institution, tasked with safeguarding the sanctity of our electoral process, when it conceals such vital information? Is this not indicative of a lack of goodwill or, perhaps, something more sinister? Does the EC not owe the very stakeholders it serves—the citizens of Ghana—complete transparency and accountability?
As the situation stands, there is a startling absence of verifiable evidence that this theft was even reported to national security or the police, as claimed by the EC. No transparency, and no respect for the stakeholders. One must ask, why the silence? Why the secrecy? If the integrity of our electoral processes is to be preserved, shouldn’t the Electoral Commission be the first to champion openness and swift communication about any threats to this integrity?
We demand answers, and we demand accountability. The Electoral Commission must explain its inaction and its choice to withhold information critical to the trust and confidence in our electoral system. The stakes are too high for such negligence or, worse, deliberate obfuscation.
Ladies and gentlemen, since the last meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) on Tuesday, April 09, 2024, and our subsequent engagements with the press, we have received new and additional information on the theft of the components of the Biometric Voters Registration (BVR) kits.
We have also become aware that this new and additional information is not unknown to officials at the top echelons of the Electoral Commission. As a result, we remain convinced that the Electoral Commission and those with powers of prosecution were and have remained ill-prepared to pursue this theft case to its logical conclusion.
This being the case, we wish to share with you the thirty-five (35) questions posed to the EC at the last IPAC meeting with the hope that by working together, enough pressure will be exerted on the EC and their collaborators within the security agencies to speak the truth about this theft which occurred under CCTV surveillance at the headquarters of the EC.
We need the truth to aid investigation and prosecution and also to prevent recurrence as we head into the December 7, 2024, presidential and parliamentary elections. We cannot have free, fair, and transparent elections when there are doubts about the sanctity of the data and equipment of the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
Before I list the questions, let me state without ambiguity that we demand a thorough unbiased independent investigation of this theft case including an independent audit of the IT system of the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 35 questions posed to the EC at the IPAC meeting are as follows
Status and particulars of the stolen components of the Biometric Voter Registration Kits
1. Have the missing kits been found?
2. If so, when (date & time) and where were they found? How were the missing items discovered?
3. How many kits are missing and cannot be found or traced?
4. What are the serial numbers of the kits under discussion?
5. Does the EC have the purchasing invoices together with serial numbers at the time of purchase of the missing items?
6. Did the EC have an official recorded inventory of the missing items prior to the theft?
7. Is there a present inventory of such sensitive items to aid a comprehensive inquiry that can allay the fears of stakeholders?
This must be clear in our minds because the failure to make this important distinction allows the EC to throw dust into the eyes of many unsuspecting followers of this case.
Before we proceed further, let me clarify the differences between these pieces of equipment. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for our comprehension of the issues at hand. Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits and Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) serve different roles in our electoral process, and their security directly impacts the integrity of our elections.
Together, BVR kits and BVDs form a robust framework designed to protect our electoral process and uphold its credibility. However, when components of this critical infrastructure are compromised or stolen, as we have seen, it poses a severe threat not just to the logistics of the EC on election day, but to the very foundation of our democratic rights. That is why the theft of these kits from under the watchful eyes of the EC’s surveillance cannot be taken lightly and must be addressed with the utmost seriousness and urgency.
Ladies and gentlemen, contrary to the EC’s public rebuttal that no Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) were missing, the EC has now admitted and disclosed that, in truth, some Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) are indeed missing! How then can we trust the integrity of the Electoral Commission when their initial denials are so blatantly contradicted by their later admissions at IPAC? What else might they be misleading us about?
The integrity of the Electoral Commission—and by extension, the democratic integrity of Ghana—must not be compromised. We stand before you today to declare that nothing less than a rigorous, transparent, and secure electoral process is acceptable. Our democracy, the will of the Ghanaian people, and the future stability of our nation depend on it.
We remain vigilant and unyieldingly committed to safeguarding democracy in Ghana. Let us move forward with resolve and caution, ensuring that every measure is taken to secure our electoral process, one that reflects the true will of the people. This is not just about the security of laptops but the sanctity of our vote.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen, as we stand on the brink of an electoral crisis precipitated by the baffling theft of crucial biometric equipment under the ostensibly vigilant eyes of the Electoral Commission (EC), the gravity of this situation cannot be overstated.
The inaction and opacity displayed by the EC not only jeopardize the integrity of our upcoming elections but also erode the very foundations of trust and democracy upon which our nation is built.
