P. K. Sarpong: Ibn Chambas should know that EC is not responsible for election security

In an elaborate scheme to dent the image of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and to drum in the ears of the Ghanaian populace that the 2020 elections suffered some credibility issues, key personalities affiliated to the opposition National Democratic Congress have made it a hobby to blame the EC for the isolated cases of violent skirmishes which occurred after the elections.

One of the people strangely engaging in this tendentious enterprise is the immediate past Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who says the deaths that were recorded in the 2020 general elections have dented the country’s image.

Speaking at a High-Level Post-Election Stakeholders’ Review Workshop of the elections under the auspices of CODEO, Dr. Ibn Chambas stated that, in terms of democratic credentials, Ghana has lost its bragging rights in the comity of nations due to the incident

According to him, the country needs to work to reclaim its enviable democratic credentials on the continent.

It is important to stress that the security details before, during and after elections are not the responsibilities of the Electoral Commission. That mandate is for the security agencies. The Ghana Police Service heads the security architecture of our elections.

Therefore, the EC cannot be blamed, for any of the riotous incidents which transpired after the 2020 elections. The EC is to conduct elections and that is what it did successfully. If Dr Ibn Chambers and his friends have anyone to blame for those violent acts, the Electoral Commission should be off their radar.

Any post-elections assessment which fails to recognize the fact that the violent incidents which rocked some parts of the country cannot be put at the doorsteps of the Electoral Commission is not an assessment one can deem to be a fair one. Dr. Ibn Chambers misfired with his assessment.