NDC boycotts IPAC meeting; cites late invitation

The opposition National Democratic Congress has declined an invitation by the Jean Mensa led Electoral Commission to attend an inter party advisory committee meeting, Wednesday.

National Organiser of the party Kofi Adams confirmed the decision to boycott the meeting when he spoke briefly to Myjoyonline.com.

He did not give reasons for the decision for lack of time but assured he would explain later in the day.

Sources within the party however told Myjoyonline.com they received the invitation very late and could not have attended the meeting

According to the source, the invitation came at 12:15 for a meeting which is expected to start at 1:00pm. Myjoyonline.com cannot however independently confirm the veracity of the claim.

A copy of the letter intercepted by Joy News read: On behalf of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, I am pleased to invite you to Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Wednesday 22nd August 2018. The time is 1:00pm. The venue is the IPAC room of the Electoral Commission.

“As you may be aware, the Commission will carry out a referendum this year as part of government proposal to create six new regions. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the 2018 limited Registration Exercise and the Referendum.”

“Mr Samuel Tettey, Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson (operations) will lead the meeting in my absence,” the letter, signed by Jean Mensa said.

But the NDC will not be part of the meeting. It marks the beginning of a frosty relationship between the opposition National Democratic Congress and the Jean Mensa led Electoral Commission.

The largest opposition party had vehemently resisted the appointment of the former IEA boss over claims of bias.

When she was head of the policy think tank, IEA, the NDC time without number boycotted programmes organized by the group including the presidential debate.

The NDC was the first to resist the appointment of Jean Mensa as the EC boss.

They had called for a demonstration the morning after her appointment but the untimely death of the former Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur disrupted their plans for a demonstration.

The call for a meeting by the EC is the first engagement between the Jean Mensa led EC and the parties but with the decision of the NDC to boycott it remains to be seen how the NDC will relate with the EC in the coming days.

Source: Myjoyonline