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The Deputy Director of Elections and Information Technology for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rashid Tanko-Computer, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of attempting to sow confusion during the Akwatia by-election.

Speaking on JoyNews’ News Desk programme on Tuesday, September 1, Mr Tanko-Computer alleged that Majority Leader and MP for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, was seen tearing down posters of the NDC’s parliamentary candidate at a polling centre in the constituency.

Describing the alleged act as “desperate,” the NDC official claimed it was part of an orchestrated attempt by the ruling party to disrupt the smooth conduct of the polls.

“The desperation of the NPP has reached a crescendo,” he stated. “They have said it severally that their intention is to come and cause confusion just to mar the beauty of the election today. You know they are losing the election — all indications point towards that.”

Mr. Tanko-Computer said the NDC’s posters had been at the location for over three weeks without incident and questioned the rationale behind their removal.

“These posters were at that polling station long before today — for about three weeks now. They also have their posters in other areas; nobody has touched theirs. The fact that the place has been earmarked as a polling station doesn’t mean you should go there and remove them. I am surprised this is coming from my worthy brother,” he said, referring to Mr. Afenyo-Markin.

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He also raised concerns about what he described as the sudden re-designation of a training venue previously used by the NDC for party agent deployment, which was turned into a polling station on election day.

“Yesterday, a location where we did our training of party agents and deployment, today that place has been used as a polling station and we had to vacate. The EC [Electoral Commission] has its dedicated polling stations which are gazetted. So if a poster is there and has been there for a while, it’s not disturbing anything.”

Challenging the logic behind removing campaign materials on voting day, he added:

“In any case, are they voting for posters today? Is it the poster that will now indicate how people should vote? What kind of mentality are we giving to Ghanaians? Just creating unnecessary tension, causing fear and panic.”