The Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency in the Oti Region, Kofi Adams, has criticized the Electoral Commission (EC) for its actions and perceived bias during the December 7, 2024, general elections.

According to him, the EC has failed to uphold fairness in the electoral process, particularly concerning the declaration of parliamentary results in some constituencies.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, December 14, Mr Adams questioned the EC’s preparedness and consistency, claiming that the Commission has not been consistent in its handling of the disputed parliamentary seats.

• Read also: Collation procedures weren’t followed in some constituencies – EC justifies re-collation

Mr Adams raised concern about the Commission's authorization of certain EC directors, who he argued were not returning officers for specific constituencies, to declare parliamentary results.

Responding to these claims on the same show, the EC’s Deputy Chair of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare, explained that the declaration which was done in Tema Central was by a permanent staff of the Commission and not the returning officer for Tema West.

According to him, this decision was necessitated by the incapacitation of the designated returning officer at the time, which required the process to continue.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticized the EC's handling of the electoral process, alleging that the Commission is overturning previously declared results to favour the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The NDC questioned why the EC has not reiterated its 2020 stance, which advised aggrieved parties to resolve disputes in court. They claim the EC’s current approach undermines confidence in the process and gives undue advantage to the NPP.

But Dr Asare said that the EC’s focus remains on ensuring the credibility of the electoral process, not on influencing the outcome in favour of any political party.

In light of this, Mr Adams argued that the EC must advise itself that Regulation 48, explicitly states that the absence of agents does not invalidate the collation process.

He argued that while Regulation 43 specifies who qualifies to be present at a collation, their absence at a "gazetted location" does not invalidate the process.

However, Dr Asare countered, stating that the Commission is well aware of the regulations and dismissed Mr Adams’ claims that the EC does not gazette collation centres and maintains its commitment to ensuring a credible electoral process.

Despite Dr Asare's defence, Mr Adams accused the Commission of partisanship, citing past incidents such as its refusal to supervise the NDC's primaries due to a court injunction.

He questioned the EC’s impartiality and called for greater accountability in its operations.