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#EndSARS: I was hit by police stray bullet, 75-year-old woman tells Ekiti panel

Niyi OYEDEJI
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#EndSARS: I was hit by police stray bullet, 75-year-old woman tells Ekiti panel

 

JANET Bejide, a 75-year-old woman on Wednesday told the Ekiti State Judicial Panel of Inquiry how she was hit by a stray bullet shot by the men of the Nigerian Police Force at her shop in Ire-Ekiti, Oye local government of the state. 

Bejide said the ugly incident happened on August 10 when the men in the uniform stormed the town and started shooting sporadically.

The woman, who said she was selling cooked rice at shop before the incident happened stated that she was only revived at the State Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital after she was felled by the bullet.

Bejide, who said her hand and body were perforated with gun bullets said she was rushed down to a private hospital and later to the State Teaching Hospital before regaining her consciousness

She said, “I was selling cooked rice and the policemen came shooting, I bowed down and cover my head with clothes and hand in order to avoid the impact of the tear gas.

I suddenly felt something hit my shoulder, neck and leg and that was all I knew before I woke up at the hospital.”

Bejide who could barely walk due to the impact of the gunshots in her leg prayed for compensation of N20 million from the panel, saying it would enable her to have adequate treatment.

“Since that time I have been having headache, I have not been finding it easy to live a comfortable life, now I have problem with my two eyes and my neck.

“My legs are  paining me, I need more and adequate treatment on my leg, hand and all the weaknesses in my body, Please help me, so that I will not die from this pain.

“I need good health, I want to return to my normal life, please help me,” the woman pleaded.

However, Samson Osobu, the police counsel,  told the petitioner that, “on the day of the incident, the town was celebrating the annual Ogun festival,  and that there used to be gunshots during the festival, with large influx of people into the town.”

Bejide refuted the claim and stated that the day was not for Ogun festival, adding that nobody used fire arms  but cane for Ogun celebrations in the town.

Justice Cornelius Akintayo (retd), the Chairman of the panel, adjourned the hearing to December 10 for continuation of hearing on other petitions.

2020 Ghana Election: Nana Akufo-Addo wins with 6,730,587 votes

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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2020 Ghana Election: Nana Akufo-Addo wins with 6,730,587 votes

JEAN Adukwei Mensah, Chairperson of the Ghana Electoral Commission on Wednesday evening declared the incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as president-elect of the 2020 presidential election.

Mensah said the ruling party won John Mahama, candidate of the major opposition with 515,524 votes difference from a total valid votes of 13,434,574.

While Akufo-Addo of the NPP polled 13, 434,574 votes from the total valid votes cast, Mahama who contested under platform of the National Democratic Party (NDC) obtained 6,214,889 votes.

Mahama was a former Ghanaian president whom many Ghanaians believed to have performed during his tenure, especially in the area of physical infrastructure provided across the country.

The election was conducted in 38,622 polling stations from across 275 constituencies in the 16 regions in the country.

“At the end of the transparent, orderly, fair, peaceful presidential election the total valid votes cast are 13,434,574. This represents about 75 per cent of the total registered voters,” Mensah the electoral commissioner said while disclosing winner of the presidential election.

She said the  result excludes Techiman South Constituency which has a total voters population of 128, 018.

Mensah who was the Electoral Returning Officer for the poll said the decision to announce Akufo-Addo as winner without considering election results from Techiman South constituency was due to contentions of the result in the constituent.

She said collation was yet to be completed as well.

According to her, the 128,018 total population was insignificant if collated and added to the existing results of both candidates.

Her words: “It is important to note, however, that the difference between the total number of votes between the first and second candidates is 515, 524 votes. As a result, if we are to add the 128,018 full results to the result of the second candidate, it will not change outcome of the election.

“Hence, our declaration of the 2020 presidential result without Techima-South. Indeed, if we are to collate the entire result of the Techima South constituency and add to the percentage of the second candidate, John Mahama, he will obtain 47.83 percent of the total vote cast and Akufo-Addo will obtain 50.8 per cent of the total vote cast.

“It is on that basis that we say the outcome of the election will not change, hence, our declaration of our 2020 presidential election result without Techima south.”

“On the basis of the foregoing, by the power vested in me, I declare Nana Akufo-Addo President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana,” she declared.
The ICIR had earlier reported an early win for the incumbent president follwing his major lead across most of the regions in the country.

 

Buhari administration lacks political will to fight corruption -CSOs

Vincent Ufuoma
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Buhari administration lacks political will to fight corruption -CSOs

REPRESENTATIVES of media and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria have scored Buhari administration low in the fight against corruption.

The groups are united in their views that President Muhammadu Buhari lacks political will to confront corruption head long.

They made this statement on Wednesday during a radio program “Public Conscience”, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG), in Abuja to commemorate the 2020 International Anti-Corruption day.

Eze Onyekpere, the executive director of Centre for Social Justice, expressed worry about the reluctance of the Buhari administration  to sanction public holders indicted of corruption.

He noted that the International Anti-Corruption Day should serve as a reminder to reawaken the consciousness of the government and Nigerians that the fight against corruption is not over yet.

He, therefore, called  on the ģovernment to refresh its mechanism, processes and procedures in the  anti-graft fight, urging the president to sanction those indicted of corruption.

He also advised that  the government should be proactive rather than being reactive. And this could be achieved “through education, prosecution, investing in technology to detect those involved in fraudulent transactions and through taking all necessary steps like the judicial, legislative and administrative steps will take Nigeria very close to eradicating corruption in the Nigeria society,” he said.

In the same vein, Ajibola Amzat , Editor of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, identified the lack of strategy by President Buhari-led government as one of the main reasons the country is not making expected progress in the fight against corruption.

“I still think this government does not have the method to fight corruption. The president may have a very good intention but it seems he does not have a clear strategy to fight corruption.

“And It is not a rocket science because already there are laws this government can use to ensure that corruption is fought to standstill. If the government is  serious about fighting corruption, just make sure that every transaction of the government is kept in the open,” he said.

Amzat also gave pass mark to the media, saying  the media in Nigeria has lived up to its responsibility of keeping the government accountable in line with the section 22 of the Nigerian constitution.

Fidelis Macleva, the investigative editor with the Daily Trust, lamented the prevalence of corruption and the abuse of power in the three tiers of government in Nigeria. He noted that lack of political will to punish perpetrators of corruption by the government was deterring Nigeria in the fight against corruption.

He also called on citizens to reduce their demands and pressure mounted on political appointees and high ranking public office holders which also encourages corruption.

“Politics comes to play here, the fight against corruption is selective. So, long as you allow impunity to thrive instead of frontally attacking the issues of corruption, we will continue to run in circles,” he stated.

Earlier, an investigative journalist with The Cable, Chinedu Asadu lamented citizens’ apathy in participating in governance. He stressed that the citizen’s attitude partly contributes to the culture of corruption.

Asadu called for active citizen participation in the fight against corruption.

He also expressed the need for strong institutional framework in order to build  a sustainable system of fighting corrupt practice in the country.

“The attention is usually on the heads of government agencies, but we need to have a strong system when talking about sustainability. Most often the fight against corruption is on the heads and the key leaders but the system is just very fragile.”

Several callers who weighed in on the topic also berated the government’s lackluster effort to fighting corruption.

The United Nations has marked every 9th of December as the International Anti-Corruption Day.

 

Nana Akufo-Addo in early lead as Electoral Commission says 14 results so far received from regional collation centres

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Nana Akufo-Addo in early lead as Electoral Commission says 14 results so far received from regional collation centres

Gbenga ADANIKIN reporting from Accra, Ghana

JEAN Adukwei Mensah, Chairperson of the Ghana Electoral Commission on Wednesday says the commission has so far received 14 out of 16 results from the Regional Collation Centres, thus awaiting two outstanding results from two regions.

One of the regions is the Northern Region where Mensah complained of over-voting, a situation she said the commission was addressing. The Bono East Region is the next affected area.

“The commission has received 14 out of the 16 regional results,” she said while explaining the collation process.

“From the polling units level, the results are sent to the constituency collation centres in the presence of the party agents. And at the constituency collation centres, all results from the polling units are collated, recorded on the polling sheets and signed by all agents of the political parties from the polling units to the regional collation centre…”

The regional collation centre, she disclosed was introduced as a new initiative as part of measures to further promote transparency in the election process. Unlike previous elections where constituency collated results are sent to the national collation centre at the electoral commission headquarters, the constituency results are sent to the regional collation centre.

As such, every region collates constituency results in its region, thus “if a region has  20 constituencies, you find on the regional collation sheet the details of 20 constituency results. Additionally, you also have a regional signing sheet. And you have the political parties involved. They verify and approve it thus makes it difficult for anybody to rig the election.”

But as of the time of her briefing, Nana Akufo-Addo, the incumbent President contesting under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has so far polled 6,375,560 votes while the major opposition candidate, John Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate got 5,879,737.

The entire 16 regions in Ghana include Ahafo, Ashanti, Bono East, Bono, Central, Eastern and Greater Accra. Others are the North East region, Northern, Oti, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western North and the Western Region.

All the regions are also made of 275 Constituencies from where Members of Parliaments (MPs) are elected to legislate for the next four years.

But the commission, she noted is working with the political party agents at the National Collation Centre within the Commission’s headquarter to review all the election results so far received.

“Two representatives each from the political parties, including representatives from the national democratic congress, are at the commission, working with the commission’s staff at the national collation centres,” Mensah disclosed.

According to her, 258 Constituencies from the 275 have so far been cleared. There are 17 constituencies left.

Also, from the 14 results received from the regional collation centres, only seven have been certified.

Reports from local media showed results from the parliamentary election has so far been tightly shared between the two major parties. The NPP got 131 seats while the NDC won 126.

In the briefing, the Resident Electoral Officer, however, apologised for the commission’s inability to declare the presidential result in 24 hours as promised.

The commission had earlier boasted the election result would be made public on Tuesday, 5 pm about 24 hours after the poll.

A total of 17,027,655 registered voters from about 17,027,641 eligible Ghanaian voters were expected to vote at the December 7 poll across the 38,622 polling stations in the country.

Based on the election declaration system, winner of the presidential election must have also polled 50 per cent of the total valid votes cast plus one.

The ICIR, however, gathered that for the major candidates to satisfy the above requirement, Akufo-Addo may need to poll extra 300, 000 votes while Mahama would need at least 800,000 votes from the two regions.

These figures amount to about 1 million votes to determine the winner of the election.

“We want the media to highlight some of these issues to inform the political parties. It may be important to share some of these details on your websites,” Mensah advised the media organisations as findings revealed that both parties and their loyalists have been celebrating, claiming victory even though the electoral body is yet to finally announce the winner of the presidential election.

“We are updating some of the results that have been declared on our websites to show how the results are arrived at.”

Presidency keeps mum over report of Buhari’s boycott of Thursday meeting with lawmakers

Niyi OYEDEJI
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Presidency keeps mum over report of Buhari’s boycott of Thursday meeting with lawmakers

THE presidency has kept mum over a report that President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to boycott his scheduled meeting with the House of Representatives tomorrow, Thursday.

The ICIR contacted Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President and his counterpart, Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President, none of them responded to the message sent to them. They also didn’t answer calls.

The House of Representatives had on Dec 1 summoned the president to appear before it over the recent killing of 43 farmers in Zabarmari community in Borno State.

The ICIR had also reported how Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representative disclosed that the president had already agreed to address the House regarding the state of insecurity in the country.

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But according to media reports, the president may no longer appear at the meeting already scheduled for Thursday.

The report notes that the president after meeting with APC governors and lawmakers on Tuesday decided to stay away.

The meeting led by Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, governor of Kebbi State who doubles as the Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum, had in attendance  Ahmad Lawan, Senate President and Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as APC governors and the party’s caucus at the National Assembly.

Governors accuse lawmakers of trying to harass Buhari

Sources at the meeting revealed how the governors accused the lawmakers of attempting to embarrass the president with the invitation, adding that they already have an intelligence report that the lawmakers of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may subject the president to ridicule.

Bello Masari, The Governor of Katsina State, who spoke on behalf of the governors said such invitation would not only affect the Buhari-led-administration but also the ruling party.

Masari, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, said such an invitation would hugely expose the president to the opposition’s attack.

The governors, therefore, appealed to the lawmakers to cancel the meeting.

While Femi Gbajabiamila was said to be quiet during the meeting, Ahmed Lawan,  the Senate President supported the idea.

Meanwhile, the minister of justice and attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN  has said that the National Assembly has no Constitutional Power to envisage or contemplate a situation where the President would be summoned by the National Assembly on the operational use of the Armed Forces.

The minister made this  statement on Wednesday.

According to the nation’s chief law officer, the right of the president to engage the National Assembly and appear before it is inherently discretionary in the president and not at the behest of the National Assembly.

 

 

Five years on, Buhari government yet to deliver on anti-corruption fight

Ajibola AMZAT
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Five years on, Buhari government yet to deliver on anti-corruption fight

DESPITE the pledge by President Muhammadu Buhari and his party,  APC to fight corruption in Nigeria among other campaign promises, the public record shows that this administration has not yet made a dent on corruption, one of the biggest problems stagnating Nigerian progress.

The ICIR examined the global corruption data published by Transparency International since 2003 and found that Nigeria has not recorded significant progress in the anti-corruption fight.

During his campaign ahead of 2015 election,  Buhari promised that “anyone who steals Nigeria’s money will end up in Kirikiri Maximum Prisons. We are going to make sure that Nigeria’s wealth belongs only to Nigerians”.

The president’s promise draws from the party manifesto  stating that it will “prevent abuse of executive, legislative and public offices through greater accountability, transparency and strict enforcement of anti-corruption laws whilst strengthening the EFCC and ICPC.”

Five years down the line, it is business as usual. Public officials and politicians still continue to misappropriate public funds with little or no consequence.

Many cases of corruption that had taken place under this administration are well documented in the media. Civil society and international organizations also have reported about unbridled corruption during the Buhari administration. Hence, the little progress made in the fight against corruption as documented by Transparency International.

According to Transparency International, Corruption can take many forms such as public servants demanding or taking money or favours in exchange for services, politicians misusing public money or granting public jobs or contracts to their sponsors, friends and families, and corporations bribing officials to get lucrative deals.

In 20o7 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office, the Anti-Corruption Index, ACI for Nigeria was rated at 22 out of 100.  The Anti Corruption Index gives numbers from 0 to 100, where 100 is the best index. When his successor, late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua died in office in 2010, the anti-corruption index of 24, and when former President Goodluck Jonathan left office in 2015, the index for Nigeria was 26.

Between 2016 and 2018, the index hovered 27 and 28 and by the end of Buari’s first term in office, the anti-corruption index is back at 26.

Among the 180 countries ranked, Nigeria now takes  146th position, slipping from 136th place when President Buhari was first inaugurated.

The ICIR sent a message to the spokespersons of the president, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, asking for comment on the performance of their principal, none of them responded.

A renowned economist at Johns Hopkins University and a critic of Buhari administration, Professor Steve Hanke tweeted in November that  “Under Buhari’s “watchful eye”, corruption runs rampant.”

Similarly, in a statement issued by the president of the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) Abuja Chapter, Victor Ofili, the group condemns corruption in its entirety.

“As an advocacy organization whose ideals are grounded on the promotion of a just society, we strongly condemn corruption in its entirety. This global scourge has its tentacles spread across all the countries of the world in varying degrees and has consistently undermined growth and development particularly in Nigeria and other developing countries,” he said.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres  has noted in a tweet that “Recovery from pandemic must include measures to prevent and combat corruption and bribery.”

Here is a list of reports by The ICIR showing corrupt practices in public offices:

  1. Non-existing office of Buhari’s Chief Economic Adviser gets approval for N573.45m in five years
  2. COVID-19: Nigeria’s health agency inflates prices of infrared thermometers by more than 200 percent
  3. COVID-19: Nigeria’s health agency inflates prices of infrared thermometers by more than 200 percent
  4. COVID-19 Funds: NCDC spends N202 million on six items without procurement plan
  5. INVESTIGATION: COVID-19 response projects worth N534.98 million awarded to unverified contractors
  6. Erosion wrecks homes, livelihoods in Anambra as Ecological Fund Office fritters intervention fund

 

COVID-19: Nigeria’s health agency inflates prices of infrared thermometers by more than 200 percent

 

Fraud allegations rock NAFDAC

 

 

Non-existing office of Buhari’s Chief Economic Adviser gets approval for N573.45m in five years

Fraud in Ivory Towers: How millions went into private pockets at Federal University Lokoja

COVID-19 Funds: NCDC spends N202 million on six items without procurement plan

 

Erosion wrecks homes, livelihoods in Anambra as Ecological Fund Office fritters intervention fund

INVESTIGATION: COVID-19 response projects worth N534.98 million awarded to unverified contractors

What we are doing about kidnapping – Buhari

Vincent Ufuoma
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What we are doing about kidnapping – Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, says his administration is thinking very hard on the issues of kidnapping bedeviling major parts of the country.

Buhari disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting with all the 36 state governors of the federation.

The president, who said all hands must be on deck to address the challenges of insecurity in the country, charged all the governors to improve on intelligence gathering by working together with traditional rulers in their respective states.

He said his administration is equipping the military to make it possible for them to fish-out bandits and kidnappers from their hiding places.

He gave assurances that the military would continue to get the support they needed to fight criminals.

“Security is important and we must secure the whole country. We are thinking very hard on the issue of kidnapping,” he said.

“We will make it possible for the military to get to the bandits and kidnappers and eliminate them.’

“I am not going to the public to speak about the vehicles and equipment we have ordered. What I can say is that the military received armoured cars and other equipment and they are training the trainers. More of such equipment, including military aircraft, will come in.’’

He explained that the closure of the nation’s land borders was partly an attempt to control the smuggling of weapons and drugs into the country.

“Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we are looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible.’’

The country has been recently bedeviled with kidnappings, most especially in the Northern part of the country.

In late November, Philip Shekwo, Nasarawa State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was abducted by unknown gunmen who killed him and dumped his body a few meters from his residence.

Security operatives said they had arrested nine suspects in connection with the killing.

Shekwo was found dead hours after he was abducted by unknown gunmen from his residence on November 21, 2020.

In a similar vein, 12 French students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, were kidnapped while traveling to French village in Lagos. They were only released after a ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

In the Southwest, Oba Isreal Adegoke Adeusi, the Olufon of lfon in Ose Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo state, was killed in November by suspected gunmen in an attempt to kidnap him while returning from the state council of obas meeting in Akure.

The Ondo state security network, also known as Amotekun, said it had arrested some of his suspected killers.

Also, Sade Ale, wife of the Ondo state governor’s chief of staff, Olugbenga Ale, was kidnapped on her way from Lagos the same day the royal father was murdered by some suspected gunmen at Owena area, near Akure.

She regained her freedom following security intervention.

Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly inaugurates committee to investigate controversial spendings by governor’s office

Editorial
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Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly inaugurates committee to investigate controversial spendings by governor’s office

By Ekemini SIMON & Abasifreke EFFIONG

THE Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has constituted an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate controversial spendings posted in the Akwa Ibom State Annual Report of the Accountant General with Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December, 2019.

This action by the State House of Assembly comes on the heels of investigative report that exposed extra-budgetary expenditures among other controversial spendings by the office of the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Secretary to the State Government.

After the report, the Akwa Ibom State Government on Wednesday November 18, 2020 circulated a new annual report and audited financial statements for the year 2019 arguing that figures in the previous annual report were incorrect.

The State Government said that a “coding error” occured during the preparation of the report.

The new annual report and audited financial statements circulated to journalists in November by the State Government has however brought to the fore other controversial spendings.

Outstanding among them is an expenditure of N1.057 billion posted for constituency projects in 2019.

State lawmakers and constituents drawn from the 26 constituencies in the State had questioned the location of the said projects.

With the heightened tension over the controversies surrounding the 2019 annual report and audited financial statements, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly,  Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey announced at Plenary on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 the constitution of an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the 2019 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements of Akwa Ibom State Government.

The Speaker named the House Leader, Rt. Hon. Udo Kierian Akpan and Deputy House Leader, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Aniefiok Denis, as Chairman and Secretary of the Committee, respectively.

The Speaker also announced the Chairman, Appropriation and Finance Committee, Rt. Hon. Uduak Odudoh and the Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Hon. (Dr.) Charity Ido, as members of the Ad-hoc Committee.

He said “The Committee is mandated to summon, where necessary, all relevant parties, agencies and persons, connecting and having anything to do with the said report”.

The Speaker directed the committee to conduct an in-depth investigation and report back to the House within one month.

Speaker Bassey noted “The committee is expected to conduct an in-depth, thorough, unbiased, dispassionate and conclusive investigation without leaving any stone unturned and report back to the House within one month”.

Ondo state governorship election tribunal holds inaugural sitting, dismisses two out of three petitions

Vincent Ufuoma
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Ondo state governorship election tribunal holds inaugural sitting, dismisses two out of three petitions

THE 2020 Ondo state governorship election petition tribunal, on Tuesday, held its inaugural sitting at the State High Court in Akure.

Justice Abubakar Umar, chairman of the tribunal, who disclosed that the tribunal has three petitions before it, asked all parties involved to give the tribunal all the support needed to enable them to succeed in the assignment.

Justice Umar, in his inaugural address, also appealed to the legal representatives to maintain a cordial relationship with the tribunal members,  adding that there should be no private or official communication between any member of the tribunal and legal representatives.

The tribunal chairman called on the legal teams to pursue their cases diligently, noting that video coverage of the tribunal proceedings is prohibited according to the law.

He also called on all media professionals to always abide by the rules of the law and the tribunal.

Meanwhile, the tribunal has dismissed two out of the three petitions filed before it for failing to file the pre-trial forms.

The political parties affected by the tribunal’s decision are All People’s Party (APP) and Action Alliance (AA), remaining Eyitayo Jegede of the People’s Democratic Party.

The tribunal subsequently awarded N100,000 cost against the petitioners in favor of respondents.

Jegede is challenging the election of Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the October 10 governorship election in the state.

Joined in the petition by Jegede are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the deputy governor-elect.

Jegede through his counsel, Ifedayo Adedipe, is praying the tribunal should upturn the election saying that the election was fraught with massive irregularities such as vote-buying, intimidation of party supporters and pockets of violence.

The PDP candidate is also challenging the process that saw the emergence of Akeredolu as the flagbearer of his party.

According to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akeredolu won the governorship election with a total of 292,830. He won in 15 of the 18 local governments.

Jegede polled 195,791 votes and won only three in Akure South, Akure North and Ifedore.

While Agbola Ajayi, estranged deputy governor to Akeredolu polled 69,127 votes to emerge the third winner.

Ghana Electoral commission shifts ‘timeline’ for declaration of presidential election results

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Ghana Electoral commission shifts ‘timeline’ for declaration of presidential election results

Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) says it has shifted its ‘timeline’ for the declaration of the winner of 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary election in the country.

This, according to the commission, is to enable proper collation of results at the constituency and regional collation centres across the country.

“…the EC will extend its intended timeline for declaring the 2020 presidential election results. The new timeline will be communicated shortly,” the commission disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday.

No exact time and date was announced.

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Major candidates in the presidential poll are the incumbent President, Nana Akufo-Addo and John Mahama. While Akufo-Addo contested for re-election under the NPP, Mahama, a former president remains the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The process of declaring a winner starts from the polling units where votes are counted and sent to their respective constituency collation centres. The constituency collation centre collates all presidential results from its polling stations and shares with the regional collation centres.

From the regional collation centres, all presidential results from the constituencies are collated and faxed to the national collation centre.

The presidential results are then collated, certified and publicly announced by the chairperson, who also serves as the returning officer.

Moreover, a presidential winner in Ghana must obtain not less than 50 per cent plus one of the total valid votes cast.

However, the commission emphasised the decision was to ensure the polling process is transparent and credible.

“…to ensure that the declared presidential results are 100 per cent accurate and reflective of the will of the people, the commission entreats the public and all stakeholders to exercise patience as the collation process continues in the presence of political party agents and election observers,” it added.

Beyond the explanation, the public was reminded of the constitutional mandate of the electoral commission as the only body empowered to declare results of the presidential and parliamentary election.

But reports have shown that at least 28 incumbent legislators under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost their seats to the opposition candidates.

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