GRi Newsreel Ghana 29 - 12 - 2000
EC official says ballots outnumber voters in
registers
EC explains delays in declaring Volta
results
Polling assistant receives gunshot wounds at
Agogo
NPP protests against Shai-Osudoku results
NPP supporters in Sandema jubilate over
results
One person lynched
during counting of votes at Kaase
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 December 2000
Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, the NPP presidential candidate, maintained a steady lead as results from more than half of the constituencies were declared on Friday.
With results from 114 constituencies released, Mr Kufour had 2,236,519 votes as to 1,612,706 for Vice President John Mills.
This gives Mr Kufour 58.10 per cent while Professor Mills trails with 41.89 per cent.
The voting followed a general trend with Mr Kufour gaining more votes even in places he lost in the first round on December seven and widened the gap in areas he won.
Professor Mills on the other hand lost votes even in most places he won apart from the Volta Region, which indicates that Mr Kufuor profited from the alliance with the five losing candidates in the first round.
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EC official says ballots outnumber voters
in registers
Ho (Volta Region) 29 December 2000
Results from a number of polling stations in the Ho Central constituency have shown that there were more ballots cast than the number of voters on their registers.
Mr. Mohammed Adoquaye, Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC) who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on Friday, said results from such unspecified polling stations would be declared null and void if investigations proved that there was foul play.
He said investigations would take into consideration the number of proxy voting, transfer votes and votes based on certificates issued out to personnel on election duties outside their constituencies.
"Any votes which indicated more than 100 per cent turn-out would be scrutinised," Mr Adoquaye said.
He said results from such affected polling stations showed between 99 to 101 per cent turnout.
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EC explains delays in declaring Volta
results
Ho (Volta Region) 29 December 2000
Mr. Mohammed Adoquaye, Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC) has attributed delays in declaring the results from the region to poor communication between the EC regional and district offices.
Speaking to newsmen at Ho, he said apart from Keta, Ketu and Krachi districts, the remaining 12 districts are not linked by telephone, adding that fax machines allocated to these offices could not be used.
He said under the circumstances, district officers at Nkwanta, Kadjebi, Jasikan, Hohoe, Kpando Adidome and Sogakope have to drive to Ho to submit their results.
Mr. Adoquaye said information received from the Keta district officer indicated that the results are ready but the NPP agent could not be traced to sign the final result.
He said he had to thrash out a problem with the head office in Accra about the result of Ho Central.
Mr Adoquaye expressed regret for the delays, saying it tends to create suspicion about the EC.
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Polling assistant receives gunshot wounds
at Agogo
Kumasi (Greater Accra) 29 December 2000
A polling assistant and a Fire Service personnel conveying ballot boxes from the Afram Plains area to Konongo were shot at by unknown assailants at Agogo on Thursday night.
Mr. Samuel Ntow, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), told the Ghana News Agency that his office received information that the polling assistant was shot in the head and the Fire Service personnel in the shoulder and were rushed to the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital for emergency operation.
Mr. Ntow said the Asante-Akim North District Electoral Officer is yet to furnish his office with the condition and names of the victims.
In another development, Mr Ntow said a refuse truck belonging to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) sent to the Atwima-Kwanwoma constituency to collect ballot boxes and election materials was vandalised by the people of Nweneso Number Two.
The attackers damaged the trucks windscreen and deflated its tyres during an alleged misunderstanding between the driver, a securityman and the people.
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NPP protests against Shai-Osudoku results
Dodowa (Greater Accra) 29 December 2000
The NPP on Friday refused to sign the final results of the presidential run-off in the Shai-Osudoku constituency due to alleged rigging of the polls, molestation, and assault of its party agents in 10 polling centres.
The provisional results declared by the Electoral Commission (EC) said Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the NDC presidential candidate, had 12,406 votes while Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, the NPP presidential candidate, had 5,188 votes.
The constituency party executives presented a protest letter to Miss Juliana Asante, the Dangme West District Electoral Officer, and attached reports of what happened at each of the 10 polling centres they contested.
Mr. Samuel Zutah, Assistant Constituency Secretary of the party, said the alleged cheating and molestation occurred at Lubuse, Djokpo, Gozakope, Kasunya, Tokpo, Nyapianya, Abuviekpong, Klebuse, Osuwem Lanor and Kongo polling centres, all in the Osudoku area.
Mr. Zutah told newsmen that at Lubuse polling centre, NPP agents were thrown out of the place by NDC thugs who said they would not entertain any NPP agents there.
He said that, as a result, voting started as late as 10.30 a.m. and alleged that ballot boxes were opened in the absence of the agents and stuffed with NDC votes.
He said the Djokpo polling station, which had 769 registered voters, recorded 100 per cent with 16 votes going to the NPP and the rest the NDC, adding that the NPP agent was beaten and forced to sign the result sheet.
Mr. Zutah said at the Gozakope polling centre, Mr Prince Apafo, NPP agent, and a woman who brought her own food were also brutally assaulted by NDC thugs while girls below 18 years old voted with thumbprint ID cards.
The NPP also complained of issuing of double ballot papers to voters at Kasunya, Osuwem Lanor, Kongo and Nyapianya.
The NPP agent at Nyapianya, Mr Vasco Kudjer Lawer, was wounded with a club on the head when he protested. He was, however, treated and discharged at the Asutsuare Estates Clinic.
Three persons, Godwin Fukpe, Korsi Adorsi and Raphael Kwabena Adomah got to the polling centre to find out that people had already voted on their behalf.
The NPP also complained of double voting at Abuviekpong polling station after one of its agents, Mr Seth Atikpo, was beaten and sacked.
The second agent, Mr Kwasi Agbesi, was asked to sign the results sheet even when the ballot box had not been opened but he refused.
Mr. Zutah said the party's agent, Mr Michael Owusu, was assaulted when he complained about double voting after the security man on duty there left the centre for more than five hours.
He alleged that, in most of the areas, there were no election observers while the presiding officers and policemen could not react due to intimidation.
When contacted, Miss Juliana Asante, the District Electoral Officer, said she would not comment but would present her report to the EC headquarters in Accra.
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NPP supporters in Sandema jubilate over
results
Sandema (Upper Eastern) 29 December 2000
Supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Sandema in Builsa North took to the streets on Thursday night in a jubilant spirit, following the declaration of the results of the presidential run-off for that constituency by the District Electoral Officer.
By the poll results, Mr J. A. Kufuor of the NPP got 7,060 votes as against 6,688 by Professor J.E.A. Mills of the NDC.
On Friday morning, the NPP supporters paraded the streets of Sandema with a coffin draped in an NDC flag.
They marched to the offices of the District Assembly, saying they were going to inform the District Chief Executive before they lay the NDC to rest.
Results from 10 of the 12 constituencies in the Upper East Region released so far shoed that the NDC had won in seven constituencies, with NPP taking three.
Results from Talensi and Binduri constituencies are yet to be released.
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One person lynched during
counting of votes at Kaase
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 29
December 2000
One person was allegedly lynched
and another received injuries when a group of people attempted to take away
some ballot boxes during the counting of votes at the Kaase Cluster of Schools
in Kumasi last Thursday.
The Reverend Osei Bonsu Nsiah,
Asokwa Sub-Metropolitan Electoral Officer, told the GNA that he had information
that the group attempted to take away the ballot boxes from the four polling
stations in the area but the people resisted and, in the melee, one of them
died and the other received injuries.
Dr. Kofi Kesse Manfo, Ashanti
Regional Police Commander, when contacted, pleaded for time to investigate the
issue.
In another development, ballot
boxes from three polling stations in the Asokwa East constituency at Akorem in
Kumasi were taken from the collation centre by another group of people.
Rev. Nsiah said immediately
counting began, the group, riding in a Pick-up, moved in and took away the
ballot boxes, thereby delaying the release of the results for that
constituency.
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