Richard Jakpa, a senior security team member of the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has made serious allegations against the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.
He claims the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been given access to sensitive printing software used for ballot production, suggesting a coordinated effort to manipulate the electoral process.
speaking on Kumasi based Abusua FM monitored by www.Kumasimail.com Jakpa accused individuals within the Presidency of engaging in electoral fraud, specifically naming a director at Flagstaff House involved in illicit activities.
“There’s someone at the Presidency specializes in electoral fraud, and there’s a director at flagstaff House who engages in ways and means. They are scammers”, he stated.
Jakpa explained that when printing companies contract with the EC, they receive software that includes security features and candidate images essential for generating ballot plates.
He emphasized “When printing companies sign contracts with the Electoral Commission, the EC provides them with software containing artwork designs and security codes. This software includes pictures of Parliamentary and Presidential candidates, which the printing presses use to feed their machines. The printing machines then generate plates featuring the designs. Essentially, the software is integrated into the printing machines, enabling the printing process”
“The software and artworks originate from the EC headquarters and are distributed to printing companies.”
He expressed concerns that NPP affiliates at the EC are distributing this software to unauthorized printing houses, undermining the integrity of the upcoming elections.
“What they do is that NPP members at the Electoral Commission Headquarters, intentionally appointed by Akuffo Addo to high positions, give out software to their allies”
“So the Jubilee House Boys obtain software from the Electoral Commission through their connections and take it to different security printing houses, which are not the ones contracted by the EC”, he pointed out.
Jakpa emphasized that while the NDC monitors contracted printing houses, unmonitored facilities set up by the NPP could also produce fraudulent ballots and distribute them to their strongholds.
“While you’re busy policing the awarded printing houses, the scammers at the Jubilee House will take the drive to different houses that we (NDC) are not monitoring. They will print them nicely, place them in their cars, and station them in the Ashanti Region or their strongholds”.
However, Jakpa emphasized that the Commission retrieving the software from the contracted printing houses after they finish their work is not a viable solution.
“After the awarded companies finish printing the papers, you can ask the EC to retrieve all the software and artworks from the printing houses. They’ll tell you they will retrieve them, but I know personally that the EC taking the software back is not the solution to the problem”.
Jakpa added “I’m aware they’ve linked the software to the NPP guys to print from different places”.
He also alleged that for the ruling New Patriotic Party to flip the election results, they need to produce between 1 million and 1.5 million manipulated thumbprinted ballots, crucial for altering election outcomes.
“In this election, the NPP needs between 1million and 1.5million thumb-printed ballot papers to flip the results”
Source: www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
