The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has said party agents for the 2020 elections will be selected based on competence instead of their longevity in the party.
The former President who is seeking re-election made it known at the opening session of a three-day capacity building retreat for election directors of the party in Tamale.
The retreat was on the theme “Repositioning the Election Directorate Strategically for the 2020 Elections.”
Mr. Mahama underscored the need for numeracy skills and literacy to be at the core of their electioneering strategy so as to assist the NDC secure victory come 2020.
“Party agents will not be selected on how long they have been in the party, or what position they occupy in the executive. Party agents will be selected, based on their abilities and skills not only to be able to monitor the election at the polling station. They should be able to monitor the forms. So, they must have basic numeracy skills and be able to identify numbers, both in figures and in words and make sure that, the right voting figures have been put on the pink sheet.”
“That is the criteria for choosing party agents not that, they are just able to identify people who come to vote. It is important, they should be able to identify if someone is an impostor but more importantly, to have the skills to ensure that the number of people who have voted is the same as the number of votes that finally end up in the ballot box”, John Mahama maintained.
EC not neutral?
Ahead of the election, Mr. Mahama said the EC needs to prove doubters wrong.
They need to prove us wrong. We have our doubts that they can be neutral and fair. The current posture and the way they are conducting things makes us doubt that they will be neutral and fair in 2020.”
Mr. Mahama also expressed concern over the lack of transparency and consultation from the commission.
