A US-BASED Ghanaian political analyst and founder of the Diaspora Progressive Movement (DPM), Dr. Lawrence Appiah has appealed to the NDC to properly deepen education on how voters should locate the number 8 on the ballot paper.
Dr. Appiah indicated that former President John Dramani Mahama is number 8 on the ballot paper, Dr. Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress (APC) is number 9 on the ballot and both of them are wearing white shirts/tops and their faces look alike; and that to him could be a challenge to first time voters, especially those in the villages.
In view of this, he is calling on the leadership of the NDC to intensify education to that effect for the vulnerable people in the villages. He suggested that there should be hands-on training especially in the villages to avoid spoiled ballots.
The worried Dr. Appiah urged that the education and training should be intensified so that the NDC Umbrella will be easily identifiable. This he thinks is important because people would use the positions to vote for the Presidential and the Umbrella for the Parliamentary candidates.
“Voters should be able to quickly see the position of the Umbrella, to avoid voting for somebody”, he added.
DPM Chairman argued that spoiled ballots are not easily associated with candidates on top or bottom. “Former President Mahama is in the middle, so much training and education must be done on how to thump-print, clean the ink and fold the ballot paper. This emphasis must focus on first time voters, the villagers and the uneducated”, he emphasized.
He also indicated that although the position of the candidate on the ballot paper does not mean he/she will win, but it helps with easy education and it minimizes spoiled ballot papers for the candidate.
This was why during the balloting for the positions, the NPP rigged to get number 1, he said; “I am still wondering why the NDC guys there allowed the NPP to do what they did without a challenge. We all saw how the NPP managed to swap balls to get number 1 but we didn’t see any NDC challenge”, disappointed Dr. Appiah lamented.
He quizzed what arrangement was made for the NPP to be the first to submit their application forms and therefore the first to pick a ball? Rigging elections is not an event, it is a process, he said.
Chairman of DPM advised that the NDC should not allow the EC/NPP to use dubious tactics to rig the elections. “We can’t go to court”, he pointed out.
In a related development, he opined that If the NPP cannot be in the minority in parliament for just two months, then NDC should know that the NPP in the minority for four years would be a nightmare for them.
“Adding that, they (NPP) would do everything under the sun to rig the elections”, he cautioned.
“…..if Nana Addo and his fellow tyrants have said they will not handover power to John Mahama and the NDC, we should not underestimate that statement, no matter how senseless it is”, Chairman of DPM warns.
Vote for Number 8, and
Vote for the Umbrella
Aba no, Mahama afa.
Source: Nationaltymes.com
