Security analyst Prof. Kwesi Aning has intimated that the commitment by the Electoral Commission to declare results after 24-hours of the general elections forms part of the issues that complicated the aftermath of the polls.

According to him, considering the tension and other concerns raised by some political party, the commission should not have restricted itself to such a deadline.

“Part of the challenge was the insistence of the 24-hour declaration which right from the word go, there were indications that look, probably we should give ourselves a leeway because of the tension, the mistrust that anything that did not fit into what that institution [EC] had promised the people of Ghana, it could then lead to suspicion,” he said.  

Prior to the December 7 elections, the EC announced that it will declare the results of the 2020 elections within a 24-hour timeline.

Director of Electoral Services, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, in an interview with Joy News’ Mamavi Owusu Aboagye, said plans are in place to ensure there are no undue delays with declaring the results within 24 hours after the close of polls.

Responding to the comment, Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), described the target as “unrealistic.”

He further added that these “unrealistic expectations” created by the EC might force them to “cook numbers” if they are unable to announce it within that timeframe.

Prof. Kwesi Aning reiterated that the communicated deadline for the declaration of the results can be attributed to the aftermath of the electoral disputes.

He also opined that the different figures projected by the commission are other critical issues which question the credibility of the commission resulting in tensions across the country.

“Some of the critical issues related to why and how that multiplicity of different figures have come about and more importantly the signal it that sends to the generality of the Ghanaian public and by extension our trust in the dependability of that institution and that is unfortunate.