EC Prints 'Fake' Pink Sheets

With 21 days to Ghana’s 2016 general elections, the news media was dominated by the brouhaha surrounding the printing of the pink sheets.

The Daily Statesman, the Daily Guide, the Finder, the Ghanaian Observer and the Today newspaper reported on the NPP’s allegation that the EC is printing the ‘Pink Sheets’ “without serial numbers”. According these papers, this is illegal and a deliberate ploy by the EC to manipulate the December 7 election results. According to the NPP, they were informed about this anomaly by the Aero Vote, the company contracted to print the pink sheets. The NPP is proposing an IPAC meeting to immediately resolve the issue.

Other stories in some of the dailies are as follows: According to the Today newspaper “EC prints presidential ballot”. According to the story the EC yesterday started printing ballot for the presidential election and was expected to issue the notice of poll before the close of business same day. The notice of poll for the presidential election is ready and we have started dispatching them to the regions.

 “Krobo Odumase welcomes Akufo-Addo with demo” is a headline in the Daily Post. According to the paper, hundreds of residents at Krobo Odumase in the Eastern region have welcomed the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo to the area with a demonstration. The angry residents are protesting comments made by staunch NPP member and Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South Constituency, Samuel Atta Akyea that Akyem instead of Somanya was the best place to build the region’s first public university.

This headline in the Ghanaian Observer, “Let’s stand up NDC’s Bullying – Nana Addo” states that, the flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, has condemned reported attacks at his Nima residence by some members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC). Nana Ado who described the attack as an ‘intimidation’ from the NDC, urged members of his party and Ghanaians as a whole to “stand up against the bully”.

The Daily Graphic also carries the headline, “CPP is all inclusive, and people centred – Greenstreet”. According to the paper, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has touted itself as the only political party in the country that is all inclusive and people centred. The party is the only political in the country to have developed the braille, sign language and audio versions of its manifesto.

We end today’s newspaper review with a story from the Daily Guide “Martin Amidu joins change campaign”. According to the story, former Attorney General and Minister for Justice under the Mills-led NDC, Martin A. B. K. Amidu, has finally joined the campaign for change of government. In a statement issued on Monday in which he sought to expose what he thought to be tricks being employed by the EC to rig the upcoming general election slated for December 7, Mr Amidu, who prides himself as ‘Citizen Vigilante’, raised concerns about the attitude of the Chairperson of the elections organizing body, Charlotte Osei.

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