Ghana Electoral Commission decision to restrict media access for collation centres during di 7 December poll cause uproar
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Di decision by di Electoral Commission of Ghana to restrict media access to collation centres during di 7 December election, don vex pipo.
Inside one memo from di EC headquarters to dia regional directors, di commission direct dia officials to allow only eight media networks to di various constituency collation centres.
“Ahead of election day, make una send names of credible media houses - radio and tv stations for your district and regions,” di memo explain.
According to di EC memo, dem direct dia regional officers say make dem select three TV stations (wit two pipo) and five radio stations (one pesin per station).
Dem also tok say make di regional officers select 12 media houses per regional collation center - five TV stations - two pipo per station, seven radio stations - one pesin per station.
Di memo end wit di direction for di officers to “submit names of dis selected media houses for accreditation; without dis accreditation no media pesin go fit enta di collation center.”
Pipo already begin to ask if dem no go allow make newspapers and online media to cover di election ; sake of di memo from di commission no tok about dem.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Di Electoral Commission justify dia decision
Deputy chairperson of di commission Dr Eric Bossman Asare tok for one interview wit local network citifm say dem decide to block some media sake of dem want space for di collation centres.
“We arrive at dis decision sake of our history and nature of di collation. If we no dey careful and we no manage di centres beta, you fit end up wit plenty wahala.”
Oga Bossman Asare say “di commission believe say dis arrangement go create smooth collation of votes for di constituency and di regional level.”
“We no dey reduce di number of only di media, e cut across. We tink say dis eight and 12 selected stations go fit broadcast di information to di kontri.”
Di deputy EC boss also add say “already, all di 13 presidential candidates go get one agent inside di collation center wia oda election observers, EC officers and security pipo go dey, so we no want make plenty media crowd for di place.”
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Journalists and oda media groups vex
Since di Electoral Commission tok dis mata, many pipo don tok say wetin dem wan do na “oppression of media freedom.”
Ghana get ova 175 authorised television operators, according to di national communications authority 2023 database.
Di authority also bin authorize 747 radio broadcasting frequencies.
According to informate from di kontri national media commission, dey don register 70 newspapers, magazines, journals and online news portals since January 2023.
Sabi pipo don dey pepper di electoral commission ova dis decision.
Di media foundation for west Africa say dis decision “dey undermine transparency and accountability during di collation of votes.”
Oga for di MFWA Sulemana Braimah say “dis restriction go affect comprehensive media coverage wey e also go affect public trust of di electoral process.”
“Media for di kontri no be only radio and TV stations but di electoral commission decision only tok about radio and TV without newspapers and oda online news platforms,” oga Braimah tok on top local network channel one.
Im add say “dis action by di EC dey misguided and di commission suppose reverse am.”
One ogbonge journalist and lawyer, Richard Sky bin tok say if di EC no reverse di decision, im go carry di mata go court.
“Dis na reckless and irresponsible decision by di EC, di constitution of Ghana allow freedom of di media, so di electoral commission no fit to stand up and take dis kind decision. If dem no stop am, I go sue dem.”
Dis na di first time di kontri electoral commission dey take such decision for presidential and parliamentary elections.
Wetin di EC dey do every time bifor elections be to allow di Ghana journalists association provide names and details of journalists and oda media pipo wey wan cover di election to di commission.
Na so dem go provide accreditation to dis journalists and oda media pipo, wey dem go use to cover di election.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Di process for di 2020 election
For October dis year, di electoral commission ask say make media houses present di names and details of all dia pipo wey go cover di elections for accreditation.
Wit dis latest decision, sabi pipo don dey wonder why di EC ask for di names of journalists and oda media crew if dem know say dem go restrict access to media for di various collation centres.
Di Ghana journalists association rep tok BBC Pidgin say dem go engage di electoral commission ova dis mata.
Pipo don begin dey wonder if di EC go also restrict media access to di national collation center, wia be di EC headquarters.
Di commission no tok about di national collation center but wit di previous elections and in 2020, all media pipo wey di EC give accreditation to cover di election, bin get access to di national collation center.
Na dia dem go declare di official results, so all di media pipo wey get accreditation bin enta di center to cover.
E never dey clear if di commission go restrict access to di national collation center also, afta dem decide to restrict media access to di constituency and regional collation centres.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Electoral commission earlier refuse to grant some CSOs accreditation to observe di elections.
Early dis month, di coalition of civil society organisations wey dey involve for election observation vex say di EC no grant dem accreditation to monitor di 2024 elections.
Di affected groups include di center for conflict resolution, Jatikay center for human security and peace building, human security research center among odas.
Security analyst and tok tok pesin for di affected CSOs Adib Saani, for one press conference explain say “dis dey against democracy and e no dey justified.”
But deputy chairperson for di electoral commission oga Bossman Asare tok say “to observe di election no dey automatic, you get to apply to di commission wey go vet di application bifor we decide whether to give di accreditation or not.”
Oga Asare add say “if di commission don deny any group accreditation, dem get di right to petition di EC make we reconsider am.”
“Some pipo bin get dia accreditation afta dem write petition to di commission wey we evaluate dem; we don dey look at many tins wey include di track record of di group and dia experience for observing elections among oda tins.”
As di electoral commission don dey put final touches to dia preparations, di police also bin dey assure di public say dem go provide security bifor, during and afta di vote.
