By:Yesmeen Abubakar Tetteh.
With less than three months to the crucial December 7 elections, concerns have emerged over the continued stay in office of David Asante Boateng, the Managing Director of the Ghana Publishing Company. This is in view of the fact that Mr Asante contested the NPP’s parliamentary primaries in the Nkawkaw Constituency. This has led to stakeholders questioning the implications of his dual role, especially as Ghana Publishing Company will be responsible for printing ballot papers for the upcoming elections.
David Asante, known for his active role in the pro-NPP group “Let My Vote Count Alliance,” has been a prominent figure in Ghanaian politics, advocating for electoral reforms and supporting the NPP’s agenda. His appointment as the head of Ghana Publishing Company has been a point of contention, particularly after he contested for the parliamentary seat on the ticket of the governing NPP.
Critics, especially within the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), argue that his position at Ghana Publishing Company could present a conflict of interest. They fear that his influence in overseeing the printing of the ballot papers could lead to irregularities, such as overprinting, that might skew the election results in favour of the NPP.
The NDC has expressed concerns that having a candidate so closely aligned with the governing party in charge of such a critical state entity undermines the integrity of the electoral process. They believe that Mr Asante’s continued presence at Ghana Publishing Company poses a serious risk of electoral manipulation, which could compromise the fairness of the elections.
A high-ranking member of the NDC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed the importance of addressing this issue to avoid potential electoral malpractices.
“While we celebrate the symbolic 8th position on the ballot for various reasons, we must remain vigilant against any covert or overt attempts by the Electoral Commission (EC) to influence the outcome of the elections. David Asante’s role as both an NPP candidate and head of the institution responsible for printing the ballot papers is a clear conflict of interest. He should have been relieved of his duties immediately after his nomination as the parliamentary candidate to prevent any suspicion of foul play,” he stressed.
This concern comes against the backdrop of the NDC’s scepticism toward the EC’s handling of the electoral process in recent years. The opposition party has consistently accused the Commission of favouring the ruling NPP, raising alarms over various issues, including the compilation of the new voter register and the exclusion of the guarantor system in the limited voter registration exercise.
To safeguard the integrity of the elections, some of the key stakeholders have called for Mr Asante’s immediate removal from his role as Managing Director of Ghana Publishing Company. They argue that this is a necessary step to prevent any potential conflict of interest and to assure all political parties and Ghanaians of a fair and transparent electoral process.
