MISSING BALLOT BOXES: TWO MORE FOUND TWO MORE TO GO

Two more out of the six missing ballot boxes have been found bringing the number to four with two more yet to be found. Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission Steve Opoku Mensah has confirmed to Francis Whajah.

“They called me from the Kwesimintim Police Station to come and identify two ballot boxes and when we went they were the boxes that we are talking about. So now we are left with two of them that have not been found.” He said.

He says two of the boxes were crushed when they fell off the truck so they couldn’t take them.

It will be recalled that six out of a number of ballot boxes that were being transported to some parts of the Western Region last week by the Electoral Commission fell off from the truck in which it were being transported and got missing.

But Mr Opoku says the search is still ongoing. “We have gone to the communities to plead if somebody has it he should bring it so we are still in touch with the people. Apart from reporting to the Police, we are also on the ground.” He said

IMPACT ON ELECTIONS

He has downplayed the likely impact of this on the elections.

“Every election is very critical and therefore we have contingency plan so we have been able to replace all the six boxes that were involved in this incident. If they want to do something with it they cannot because those boxes had no lids. They were left in the pick up so they are just open boxes and they cannot use it. Every box that will be sent to the polling station will be labeled with the code number and the polling station name of that polling station so no one can play tricks with it”. Mr Opoku said.

INTEGRITY OF COMMISSION

“It depends on the way people see it but you know we have nothing to hide and the

boxes were given to 22 district officers, all of them were able to reach there, it’s only one that had a problem so I don’t think it will be a dent on my reputation as a regional director of the commission of the Western Region”, He emphasized.

ON THE WAY FORWARD

He urged political parties to go about their campaign with decorum