I would like on behalf of the Electoral Commission to thank our indefatigable staff across the country.
You have worked hard to ensure the successful, peaceful and credible elections and electoral outcomes that we are about to witness. You have made it; you have fought a good fight.
To our Directors at the Head Office and Deputies; to all our Regional Directors and Deputies and all the staff in our Regional Directorates; to our District Electoral Officers and their Deputies and the District Staff; to all our Senior Staff and Junior Staff, we say Ayekoo!
We appreciate you. As the saying goes in Ghana, when the Cock crows on Sunday and Monday, know that it is the Commission at the Head Office that is saying, Thank You!
To our Temporary Officials, made up of our Returning Officers and Deputies, Collation Officers, Presiding Officers, Name Reference Officers and all the Polling Officials, we thank you for the good work done so far.
EC Charges Staff to Excel in their Functions
As you know, the majority of the work will start from today, through to Election Day and the declaration of the results, and the days following. In our interactions with you, you have demonstrated your resolve to conduct elections par excellence, elections that are orderly, transparent, peaceful and credible; elections that reflect the will of the people as expressed at the Polls.
We charge you to go forth and to serve God and country in this Election and make Ghana proud. You have a tall responsibility and you have been given the training and equipped with the needed skills to carry out this task with distinction and high level of professionalism. We urge you to abide by the values and motto of the Commission, i.e. Transparency, Fairness and Integrity. Let truth guide you.
EC’s Mandate not to make anybody President or an MP
As the Commission has already indicated, our collective roles – yours and ours – is not to make anybody a President or a Member of Parliament. Ours is to conduct orderly, credible, fair and highly professional and efficient Elections. That is what we have all been employed to do and that is what we have employed you to do. In doing so, we charge you to do it with integrity and to let truth guide you. Be fair in all your dealings; be transparent and above board; follow the directions provided you by the Commission, including the wearing of gloves before counting of votes, the posting of Pink Sheets in all Polling Stations, among others. Count the votes accurately, and fill out the forms professionally.
Your role as Presiding Officers, and here I am talking about Presiding Officers, and your work at the Polling Stations, which culminates with the Pink Sheets, is what determines the outcome of the Election. We urge you to do it with integrity and truth, and let God’s light guide you. Let us all remember, you and us alike, that at the end of the day, we will be answerable to God for our actions and our activities. Let us remember that God will judge us for all we do.
That said, we believe in you. We trust in you to deliver free, fair, credible and transparent Elections, that will reflect the will of the people as expressed at the Polls. We trust in you to ensure that every vote will count. We trust in you to ensure that votes that are valid are not declared as Rejected Ballots.
When all is said and done, the Commission will undertake an internal assessment, to assess each and every one of us. Let us do our bit to ensure that we can pass the test so that we can continue together as one big family, determined to work to make Elections in Ghana world class. And yes, you can. To all our Field Officers, we wish you God’s speed and protection, as you travel the length and breadth of this country. We appreciate you; may God watch over you; may He guide you; may He lead you; may He teach you; and may He use you to announce Elections that reflect the people’s choice and will.
